To Be Betrayed? 'Tokyo Ghoul' Tatara X OC
by Hyebin Janice
Summary: Isa lost her parents at a young age-from ghouls. Ghouls are the creatures that disguises as humans-blending into their society, feeding off them. Isa's childhood friend, Ina, takes her into her family with open hands until Isa was able to live on her own. Little does Isa know about the things that are going on around her. A fan-fiction of the manga/anime 'Tokyo Ghoul'. Copyright
1. Chapter 1

"Ghouls, huh…" Isa mumbled to herself while she took another sip of coffee. She stared down at the TV where there had been another news report on the most recent ghoul activity. She was unable to get her eyes off the screen.

A loud buzz came from behind her, making her heart jump. She received a text message from her friend, Ina. Setting her cup on the table she reached down and picked up her phone, reading:

**From: Ina **

Lets meet up. How about today, 15:00. Meet me at the mall. Text back.

**Isa texted back:**

Sure, I'll be there.

She quickly hopped into the shower and got ready. Afterwards, she picked out a light red full-skirt dress that reached her knees, and then ran out the door realizing she took too long to pick an outfit. She ran to the nearest train station and went on train.

A cool breeze swept through the air as the train doors slid open. Her brown hair flew crazily when the train headed off in full speed. She took in a breath of air, looking around. Ano was a beautiful city for its fancy, new and advanced technology. The streets always seemed to sparkle, as if someone had given it a cleaning every hour of the day. Many pedestrians walked about, all seeming to be lost with their own businesses. Isa walked towards the mall that was only about a kilometer away.

She looked at her surroundings for the first time-actually paid attention to it. A mother holding hands with their small child. People dressed in their work clothes, holding a cellphone to their ears as they walked passed without much regard. Sounds of laughter and joy. A sudden thought popped into her head...a thought about ghouls.

_Are any of these people ghouls? _She quickly snapped her head towards the mother and child walking side-by-side.

_Do ghouls have feelings? Do they have family, and love one another? _Isa clenched her fists at the thought. A sadness filled her as she remembered her parents' passing. The loneliness from an early age. Yearning for some sort of love once more.

"What am I doing?" she suddenly blurted aloud. She shook her head in disbelief and continued to walk. _I have people who love me-Ina. She'll always be my best friend and will never leave me. _

Isa continued walking until her phone beeped again. She opened her purse and read the screen: from Ina.

So sorry, I really am! But I can't come anymore. Some stuff happened with family. Not a big deal actually so don't worry. I'll make it up to you next time, I promise!

_All right then. Great, _Isa said to herself. She was now in the middle of the streets with a canceled plan. She turned around and started walking back where she came from, but then stopped again. A craving of tea. Turning around, she faced far into the distance, contemplating.

It was actually far away, located in a remote corner of a street. Even though it was an unpopular shop, Isa loved the way they served their natural drinks, and the way it was always so peaceful inside.

Arôme. The plain bronze-framed building didn't change. Its long windows that were the store's front wall were polished, sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. Smoke lazily floated out of the cobblestone chimney. The inside looked fresh and new, the brown wood floor clean and smooth. There was a little garden of long vines and a couple of exotic flowers on the corners and sides, making it seem like a greenhouse more than a shop. Everything was the same.

Isa ordered matcha green tea. While waiting in line, someone caught her eye. A man with white hair, sitting near the front door, peering out the windows. Sunlight reflected off the edges of his body, casting a mixture of orange and white. His posture-so relaxed and calm. Isa couldn't see his face, but he attracted her all the same.

_He looks...so beautiful… _Isa thought.

"Your order, ma'am."

Isa snapped out of her daze, facing back at the cashier. "Oh yes, my apologies." Isa took her tea and went towards the nearest table-furthest from the man, and sat. She found herself stealing glances at him. He barely ever moved at all, his cup mostly untouched. She watched until the steam from his cup had disappeared.

_Should I approach him? Maybe he's upset, or… _

Isa suddenly stood up from her seat without thinking it over. Feeling too embarrassed to sit back down again, she walked forwards, trying to stare through the window instead of staring at him. Isa heard a cellphone ring in the background. She planned to turn once there was an intersection. As she came closer and closer towards the man, she found herself getting lack of air, her stomach tensed. Isa had no idea what the feeling was.

The next thing she knew, someone had bumped into her, sending her cup flying forwards. She heard the cup make contact with the floor-a bit later than she expected. She staggered to the side, almost losing her balance. A man holding a cellphone on his ear rushed out the door, giving a hand signal as apology to Isa.

Her eyes widened when his clothes were strained with green. She was out of words.

"Um-I'm-so sorry," Isa dropped to her knees, panic flared inside her. "I'll clean it up. I'm so sorry," Isa said again. She stood back up to look for a stand of napkins.

"It's fine," he said so quietly it was barely audible.

"Pardon me?" Isa asked. He looked up at her, it was the first time she saw his face. He stared at her with luminous, yellow eyes.

"It's fine," he repeated a little louder this time. He stood up and started to leave.

"But…" Isa began.

He turned his head to the side, looking at Isa with one eye.

"I can't...leave you like that," she managed to say. The man narrowed his eye slightly, his stare was more gentle than negative. He then faced the front and walked away without saying anything else, leaving Isa standing dumbfounded.

_What the hell did I just do?! _Isa wanted to grab her hair and rip it apart. She never felt more embarrassed in her life.


	2. Chapter 2

At night, Isa would always find herself thinking about the incident. Always stared up into the dark ceiling. Actually, she thought more about the _man. _Something distinguished him from everyone else, not just appearance wise, but something else Isa couldn't identify.

She went back to Arôme countless times, even though it was far away from where she lived. Almost everyday, after work at the hospital, she would go back just to see his absence.

One night, Isa met up with Ina at a restaurant.

"So, what's on your mind these days, Isa?" Ina asked, twirling her glass so that the ice cubes tumbled around, making _clink, clunk _sounds inside.

"What do you mean?" Isa asked.

Ina smiled, sat up straight. "You're different, Isa. I can tell very well. You seem...happy, yet tired," she laughed.

Isa smiled at her, amazed how observant and meticulous Ina was. "Really? I guess you're smarter than you look," she teased. They both laughed. "Hey...Ina?"

"Yes?"

Isa pondered how to word it. It was a strange thought that kept on bugging her.

"What is… I mean what does...love...feel like?"

Ina stared at her for a couple of seconds, with a blank expression. Then, her lips curved upwards and she bursted out laughing wildly. Isa stayed silent to whole half-minute of continuous laughter by her friend, a bit confused why she was laughing.

"Isa," she began. She smiled again. "You know what love feels like, don't you? I love you, Isa. Me _and_ my father. You're like my sister, you know that…" A brief look of sincerity crossed her face as if she was sad. "I don't know how hurt you feel sometimes… Losing your parents thirteen years ago…"

The memory came back to Isa like a tidal wave, hitting her so hard it ached somewhere deep inside. That day. When she came home after school, finding blood smeared all over the walls. Running away as fast as she could to Ina's house. Tears flooding down her cheeks. A burning sensation in her heart. The same ache.

"Because of ghouls, huh…?"

A moment of silence passed. Isa tried to manage a smile to her friend, trying to show she was over it.

"Sorry, Isa. I think you meant the other love…" Her friend said. "You know, I think you already know that feeling. Why ask me?" Ina playfully nudged her friend. It was sometimes so surprising how much Ina knew. Was it her intuition? She always understood Isa so well.

"Thank you, Ina. You're all I have-with your father of course," she wiped the last bit of tears from her eyes.

"You'll have one more," Ina added.

"One more what?"

"A person that loves you."

* * *

"Hmph… Interesting human…"


	3. Chapter 3

Back to Arôme.

Nothing.

Leave.

Try again the next day.

It wasn't so tiring for Isa. She didn't mind spending all the time into trying again and again, coming back to see if he was there. She didn't really have much to do anyway. Couple of weeks have past. She didn't know what drove her to keep on coming back, to see if he was there again. Why did she even care?

"...Due to the increase of ghoul activity, we strongly advise citizens to stay safely indoors at…"

She took a quick glance at the screen of the TV in the lobby of the hospital before heading out. The cool air of mid afternoon breeze blew past softly whilst sounds of vehicles and chattering of people bursted into the front doors as it slid to its sides. Isa walked-back to Arôme.

"Determination," Ina said in a instructing voice, sticking out her index finger in the air. "It takes determination. Don't give up, kay? How do I know? Well… My intuition. You're welcome."

Isa remembered her friend's funny lecture.

Isa opened the door.

She saw him. White hair; drinking tea, looking out the window. Her heart jumped and she felt a strange pressure inside. Self-consciously, she patted her head to make sure it was in an okay shape and rushed to the line in nervousness.

"I'll order green tea, please," she said to the cashier.

She tapped her cup, thinking about what to do next. She slowly rose from her seat, but then reconsidered and sat back down, shifting in her seat.

_Think, think! He's going to leave soon if I don't do anything…_

"_Get out of your comfort zone, Isa," _she remembered Ina telling her.

Each second that passed seemed to be hours for her, a mentally visual note saying he wouldn't sit and wait for her forever was in her mind. She took a breath in. _I can do this, I can do this, _she encouraged herself in her head while slowly standing from her seat. The man glanced down at his drink, Isa hesitated, but then regained some confidence and stood straight.

_What do I do when I get there? No idea. _

_Just go. _

Isa walked towards the man who sat a several seats in front of her. _Hello there, I'm Isa, and you are? No. Then what!? Why does this have to be so hard, Ina? Why can't you-_

Isa was right behind him when he abruptly stood, making Isa stop with surprise. He reached in his pockets, pulling out bills and setting it on the table. He turned, facing Isa.

It wasn't him.


	4. Chapter 4

Tall. White hair. White overcoat. Glasses. A face devoid of particular emotion.

He stood a few inches taller than Isa, staring down with a nonchalant expression.

"I'm sorry," Isa said moving to the side, embarrassed that she'd mistaken somebody else for him. She felt her cheeks lightly burn as she looked away. "I've mistaken you for somebody else."

"It is fine," he finally replied after looking at her for a moment. From under the table, he grabbed a black suit case that had fancy golden rims and walked passed her calmly, heading out the door. Isa stared at the floor, feeling embarrassed and ashamed for looking like a fool. She took a breath in, then out. Then, headed out the door.

She lay on her bed, a wrist on her forehead, feeling completely exhausted. She felt an unpleasurable feeling in her chest. Something heavy. She listened to the news on the TV; flicked the remote, turning it off when it was another incident of ghouls.

_Ghouls. _

Rain dropped from the dark sky and bounced off the ground and made dull thumps on the windows. Isa sat up, deciding to read a book she borrowed from the library. She looked at the front cover and actually noticed that the title was in a language she didn't know.

Hours past. It was late midnight and Isa was still reading. It was about a young boy who drank an unknown potion and turned into a monster. Not physically or mentally, but everyone who saw him would curse him, blame, or run away after seeing him, even if it was someone he'd never met before. Then there was another boy. He was a monster from the start. They both met for the first time and understood each other; that they were the same, but so different in many ways.

"You're not a monster at all," Isa read the last sentence of the book aloud. _Interesting story, _she thought. The sounds of rain outside gave the story a bit of a bittersweet touch. She set the book aside and decided to sleep.

She panicked. Ran as fast as she could to safety. They were behind her, she knew it. Her breaths were heavy, her energy drained as she sprinted. The coppery smell of blood; red painted on the walls-bodies-lying everywhere.

_I'm going to die! _The thought screamed in her head. Isa ran for a closed door, seeing it as her only path. She swung it open. The lights were off. Even the little bit of light from the outside night lights didn't illuminate the room.

Somebody was there.

Isa froze in fear. He noticed her presence, turned around slowly. They were face-to-face, but Isa couldn't see him.

"W-who are you?" Her voice squeaked in horror.

No response.

She took a step back-but the door shut on its own… Her breaths became heavier, all her limbs trembled. He took a step closer. And closer. Slowly he approached her, and it eased her fear-she knew that something about him was…

The windows shattered, wind blew in like a powerful storm. Startled, Isa covered her head and lunged further away from the explosion.

She slowly opened her eyes to a shining red-and white electricity.

_What...is happening?_

She was too stunned to move. It was an ugly battle… For what?

* * *

She startled awake.

Daylight.

_I should return the book, _Isa thought.

"Today will be the first day of snowfall, so please dress…" She watched the weather news while eating a quick breakfast.

She winded past the busy pedestrians on the way to the library. Snow fell lightly from the sky. _It's winter already._

On the front desk, she laid her book in the return basket and decided to roam around to search for new books. Even the library was busy. There were long lines for autographs, kids listening to their favourite author, people working away by the windows. On the far east end, a blue banner labeled "New Releases" hung from the ceiling. Isa decided to check it out. In the far corner, a familiar book came into view-the one she'd always wanted. From a fast pace walk she turned it into almost a sprint-didn't care about the rules of being quiet, didn't know if it was allowed to run in a library. The book was half hidden from the shelves in front of it. Isa made a quick turn, bumping into someone else, knocking all of their books too.

_Why does stuff like this always happen to me?_

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Isa's eyes widened in surprise. Was she imagining things like last time?

He looked down at her with a emotionless glint in his eyes. Isa hurried and picked the books off the floor, stacking them into neat piles on her arms. She set the last book more carefully and stood up facing the man. "Here you are. I deeply apologize for my… Uh, rush."

He stretched his arms and took the books calmly from her. He still didn't say anything. Isa decided it was time she got off her comfort zone. "I think I've met you before if my memory serves right. May I ask your name?"

He stared at Isa with an observing look. "Tatara," he replied softly.

"Tatara…" She meant to say it in her head. "I'm Isa. It's nice to meet you." She was stunned how confident she was. "I sincerely apologize for spilling tea on you the other day-I mean weeks…"

"No need."

"Pardon?"

"No need to apologize…"

_Ah… _The situation was becoming a little awkward. _Think, think, Isa. _"I see you like books too," she said. He looked down at the pile of books in his arms.

"Yes, a friend of mine wrote them."

Isa stood on her tippy toes to read the top of the book. "Takatsuki Sen… I've heard a lot about her works. She seems like an amazing author."

Tatara nodded ever so slightly. With nothing more to say, Isa decided to end the conversation before it got worse. "It was nice getting to know you, Tatara-san," Isa smiled and walked passed him. Tatara hesitated before walking away. He narrowed his eyes in thought.

Isa's heart felt lifted and lively. Was this the feeling of love? Or was it just happiness? She couldn't really tell. It was her first time every loving a opposite gender-or maybe it was liking. She replayed the whole scene over and over in her head, the nostalgia never tiring.

* * *

The wind blew strongly at the top of a tall skyscraper. A man dressed in a white cloak and red mask approached another person sitting at the edge of the roof, who, was swinging her legs, not even the slightest bit afraid of the extreme height.

"Who was that person, Tatara-san?"

"A human woman."

"Hmm…?" She leaned back on her hands and stared at the sky where the snow lazily fell. "What kind of person is she? Do you think she'll be useful to use?"

Tatara walked towards the edge, observing the vast city lights of Ano. "I'm not quite sure."

"Then we'll just have to find out," she smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Sunlight shone through the trees into the second floor of the hospital windows, making little spots on every surface the light reached. Isa quietly opened the door, she saw him laying down on the bed, staring out the window with tired eyes.

"How are you doing today, Nico?"

He turned his head, facing Isa, smiling. "I feel like I'm recovering too quickly, Isa-chan~ Your beauty must be making my recovery even faster," he spoke honiley. "Really, I cannot thank you enough, Isa-chan~"

She gave a warm smile to her patient. "I'm glad you're on the road to recovery." She brought a tray of food and water, placing it on Nico's bed.

"Thank you." He raised the fork, grabbing the bits of food slowly, and ate. He chewed, and swallowed. "Isa-chan, you like books don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

Nico smiled. "There's a nice little bookstore not too far from here. It serves coffee and other drinks there too. Some people say even authors go there, like Takatsuki Sen, if you heard of her," Nico laughed, coughing.

"Takatsuki Sen…"

* * *

Ferocious gust of cold wind blew as Isa hurriedly opened the door and stepped into the bookstore. A couple of round tables were placed by the big windows while shelves of books laid behind. Isa skimmed past the different sections, eyeing out the ones written by Takatsuki Sen. The store wasn't busy and was quiet. Isa heard someone humming a couple shelves away. A little entertained, she walked towards the melody.

A messy-bunned girl with a knit sweater was looking at books. She instantly turned around, startling Isa.

"Hell-o there~" She said with a singsong voice. She stood a little shorter than Isa, with a cute and childish demeanor.

"Hello," Isa replied giving a smile. The girl giggled.

"I've never seen you around here before. My name is Takatsuki, it's a pleasure to meet you," she stretched out a hand, smiling widely. Isa was utterly shocked at how young she looked. She was the famous author? Isa would have thought she was a couple of years younger than her at the most. The way she dressed and spoke, it didn't seem to be that the one of a twenty four year old.

"Takat…" She could no longer talk.

"Mhm. And you are?"

"Ah-Isa. Isa Takano," she shook hands. Takatsuki put on a thinking face with a hand on her chin.

"Isa, huh? It kinda sounds familiar. Anyways, do you have any time? I would like it if we could have a chat." The offer surprised Isa-did she know her? Did Tatara talk about her?

"Sure. I've usually have a lot of time in my hands anyways."

They both ordered a cup of coffee and sat at one of the tables. Takatsuki twirled a pen in her fingers with insane speed. She took a sip of coffee, placed it on the table. Isa watched, not knowing how to start a conversation with her. Takatsuki clapped her hands together and smiled. "So, Isa-chan. I have a couple questions for you. I'm using your answers for a character in my new book, of course, if you don't mind."

"Okay," Isa responded, not sure if she should have declined or not. She wasn't sure her answering skills would be very...helpful. Takatsuki flipped open a notebook and turned it to a blank page.

"First question. Ghouls. Have you ever seen one?" For some reason, the words hit her like a hard wave.

"Ghouls…? No, I haven't," Isa laughed nervously. "I've never seen one-or maybe I've seen lots-I don't know… Do you...believe in them?" She felt anxious about her answer. Ghouls weren't a very popular topic that was discussed openly. If it was, then it would usually be for a mocking intent.

"There are ghoul investigators, so I know that they're real. Why would people get paid and work for something that's bogus? I've done some research on them, they actually get paid quite well," Takatsuki said in a matter-of-fact voice.

_She's certain they exist… _"I guess so…" Isa said. Takatsuki scribbled notes onto her page.

"Alright. Next question. What do you think of them?"

These questions were harder than Isa had expected. She suddenly questioned Takatsuki's interests.

"What do I think about them? Uh, well...I really don't know how to answer that question. I've never seen one before, I don't know what to think about them."

"But you've heard about them on news, haven't you? About their murders, how they dress like humans. Are they monsters to you?"

_Monsters… _ _Who killed my parents… _"They...killed my parents…" Isa said brittlely.

"Ah." Takatsuki lowered her gaze onto the table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to become like this."

Isa nodded, wiping the small tears that formed in her eyes. Takatsuki closed the notebook and took the last sip of coffee, then she stood.

"Well, that's all I wanted to ask," she smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry for not being able to such a good help...especially because it was for your story," Isa said. Takatsuki waved her hand dismissively.

"No, no. It's fine, really." Their eyes met for a moment. Isa noticed Takatsuki had deep blue eyes with a grey tint. _What is your life like? _The thought popped out of nowhere in her head.

"Isa-chan," Takatsuki smiled. "If you ever want to talk about something, you can always contact me," she handed a business card to Isa. "I've got to go now. It was nice meet you."

"Oh-thank you. It was nice to getting to see you." The thought of Tatara came into her mind, but Isa decided not to bring him up. Takatsuki left, smiling and waving at the other side of the window. Isa was left wondering, what was Takatsuki Sen to Tatara?


	6. Chapter 6

A couple weeks passed. Snow covered everything in soft white. The sky was a pale grey, cloudy. Isa was walking back home until she got a call saying she was need at the hospital again. She dashed back.

Several injured men were in the emergency rooms, all from a ghoul attack. Two didn't survive.

_Ghouls. _The word echoed in her head, then the conversation with Takatsuki Sen. _Why are they in my mind so much? _

Isa checked an unconscious man's vitals. "_It was a ghoul attack. This is one of the CCG officers," _her boss told her. She stared at the man breathing quietly, his eyes shut.

It was midnight and Isa was finally able to go home. The sky was dark purple, bright from the city lights. Isa looked at her boots as they made footprints in the snow. Cars drove lazily on the roads, providing extra light for Isa. Music played from the street speakers and in the entranceway of stores.

"S-someone, please, help me," a feminine voice called out not too far away. Isa snapped her head towards the direction it came from. An alleyway. She hesitated at first, maybe it was better not to go? Call someone for help? But then the voice came again, a little louder this time, saying she was injured.

"What happened? Do you know?" Isa asked. The darkness of the alleyway made her hesitant to step in to find her.

"I'm bleeding-I don't know how to stop it. It's been like this for at least ten minutes." Isa took a step forward. Then stopped. Decisions conflicted in her mind.

_She's injured._

Isa ran into the dark lane. "Where are you?" She called out.

No answer.

"Hey, are you alright?" She tried again.

No answer.

Fear slowly crept up Isa. Was she just imagining the voice? But she was sure she heard it. Someone walked up behind her. She clenched her fists, wided eyed. She began to tremble. No words came out of her mouth, not even a cry for help.

"Haven't anyone taught you not to go into alleyways?" A deep voice spoke. He snickered.

"Especially late in the night," a menacing woman's voice added from in front. Isa took a step back, but then took one forwards after hearing the man take a step. She was trapped…

"W-what do you want with me?" Isa's voice broke. Hysterical laughter came from both sides.

"Scared now human? This is what we have to go through."

_Ghouls… _

"Hunted down everyday. This is our lives. So, what difference will it make if we took your life? You're our only means of survival. Humans…" The woman came into view, the faint lights from the other end of the street illuminating some of her face. Her eyes; red that glowed in the darkness, filled with anger. She suddenly stopped, her eyes widened.

"Hey-not her. Not her!" The woman yelled. It wasn't directed at Isa, but the man behind her. A sharp pain exploded on Isa's leg, making her lose balance. She fell onto her hands, adrenaline pulsing in her veins. She instantly got back on her feet and ran out the alley, violently pushing the man aside. A person waited at the path entrance. He was tall, wearing an overcoat. Isa came into a stop, breaths heavy and jagged. Everything was spinning in her mind, she didn't know what to do next. All she knew was that she was probably going to die.


	7. Chapter 7

"Damn! It's an investigator! Let's go, forget about fighting!"

The overcoat man slowly walked by Isa as if he didn't notice her at all. _What is happening…? _Isa leaned on the brick wall. A sharp pain stung her leg as she moved, making her remember what happened to it just seconds ago. She snapped her head back towards the man that just passed her, who stood now several feet from her. He seemed so calm-the way he stood straight with confidence, his relaxed body posture. Was this an investigator?

"I said run! What are you doing!?" The woman's voice called out far in the distance, her voice was laced with annoyance and fear.

"It looks like he's quite defenceless. Where's your Quinque, ghoul investigator?" The ghoul said.

"No-you don't understand! Please… Fa-"

_What is happening? _Isa was too in shock to run away. And it was somehow fascinating to see a ghoul investigator for the first time. Her fear inexplicably melted away.

There were sounds quick footsteps. The man disappeared. Reappeared further ahead. Isa was bewildered by his speed. Was that even possible for a human? She stared almost in a trace at everything that happened in front of her the next several seconds. Liquid gushed out from the ghoul. Even though she couldn't see the red, she knew it was blood. His body dropped on the ground, lifeless and cold. Pain gripped Isa's calves as if her muscles were being squeezed until her leg would fall out. Isa's hand instantly grabbed for the painful spot. She felt blood soaking her hand, the coppery smell entering into her senses. Quickly, she ripped the thin material of her blouse and wrapped it around her wound. She groaned and leaned on the wall from the exhaustion. From the corner of her eye she saw the woman-ghoul's silhouette running away, jumping high onto buildings, disappearing in a behind the heights. The investigator gave a lingered stare at where the ghoul ran off, then turned around to look at Isa. He wore glasses-it sparked a memory from a few months ago.

_The man from Arôme. _

He walked towards her, giving her an emotionless stare, just like the one from the last time they've met.

Isa staggered a bit before she spoke. "Thank you, sir," was all she could say for some reason. "I-are you hurt anywh-"

"How bad is your leg?" His said calmly.

"I won't be able to walk on it for a bit, but other than that, I'm okay. I just need to get it treated-no severe injuries."

Isa learned his name was Arima. He helped her get to the hospital to get treated and left because he had important duties to take care of.

"What will happen with the body?" She asked when he was leaving.

"It will be bagged and taken to a lab. What happens there is none of a civilian's business," Arima turned around, looking Isa in the eye. His gaze relaxed. "You shouldn't be around late at night, it could happen again."

"Yes," she replied as if she was answering a parent.

Then he left, closing the door shut. His footsteps were inaudible due to the thickness of the walls. Isa thought. They both seemed similar. Tatara and Arima. The way they spoke-always interrupting Isa-not that she really minded. They both gave off the serene demeanor and nonchalant stare.

_So which one is it? _She suddenly thought to herself, then pushing the thought away. It was obviously Tatara. Isa unlocked her phone to call Ina if she could take her home.

_Hey. I almost died from a ghoul attack… _She thought to say when she called her. Ghouls. The thought came back; the menacing look in her eyes red as blood.

She stared absentmindedly as she waited for Ina to pick up the phone, her mind feeling more hazy each time the dial tone rang in her ear. Ina didn't pick up.

Isa was welcomed to stay a night at the hospital she worked at, she didn't mind too much not being able to go home.

A couple hours passed, she lay awake, not being able to sleep from the throbbings of her injured leg. Also about the experience she had earlier. The fact that she'd actually seen one for the first time-two of them. What had even cut her anyways? Was it a knife? If Arima hadn't been there, she would have been their meal. She shuddered at the dark thoughts. It led back to all the of news on TV about ghouls, then back to what happened to her parents, and then back to what the woman ghoul said.

"_This is what we have to go through… Hunted down everyday. This is our lives," _Isa repeated. Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened, and to Isa's surprise, it was Arima.

"Arima-san?" Isa said in surprise. He still wore his ghoul investigator coat, but something about him seemed more relaxed, casual.

"I thought you'd want a ride home, considering you're not really in a condition to be hospitalized."


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't until later the next day when Ina picked up her phone. Isa asked if they could meet to talk about what had happened the night before.

They arranged to meet at Isa's place after Ina declined to have it in her place. Isa decided to prepare a curry dish for dinner, knowing that it was Ina`s favourites, and that Ina couldn`t really cook.

Once she arrived, she told everything that happened to her. Her friend`s eyes widened in shock and terror when she heard. She immediately got off her seat and went over to Isa, bending down and lifting her pants to reveal a bandaged leg.

"I'm fine. It`s just a slash on my leg. It'll heal in a few weeks."

"Isa…" Her voice quieted.

"I'm alright. Don't worry," she smiled at her friend. "Let's continue our meal-it's less depressing," she horribly joked. Ina gave her a nasty stare that meant she was not amused, but the corners of her lips curved upwards, as she let go and stood back up. Sadness was filled in her eyes and she seemed like she was drained of energy.

She said she had to go home after hastily eating the meal. "Do you want to take the rest home with you for you and your dad?" Isa asked her.

"No, it's okay. Thank you," her friend replied. "Thank you for the delicious meal, Isa. You always prepare the best, sometimes I even wish you were still living with us, as the head cook," she smiled.

"Your dad can't pick you up? I thought he only had work at night."

"He's gone on a business trip since yesterday," she replied. "Guess the subway's the only method I have." Ina headed for the doorway, putting on her boots. Isa spoke when she was about to leave.

"You know what Ina?"

Her friend turned around and looked at her curiously. "I might sound crazy to you or something but I've been thinking a lot ever since yesterday… Ghouls... They're...not monsters you know? I almost feel a bit bad for them…"

Ina laughed but cut it short.

"But they injured you. They...almost killed you."

"But aren't we their only source of food? They have feelings, don't they?" Ina gave her a blank stare. "Forget it. Haha, I'm sorry, Ina. My brain is just thinking weirdly from the attack. I'll get some rest too."

Ina gently smiled at her friend. "I'll always be your best friend, no matter how crazy you become."

"Ha. I'll always be by your side, no matter what you do or become," she shot her friend a big smile before she left. Ina closed the door and walked off, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Don't make me cry, Isa."

Ina limped back home, coughing ferociously. "Damn it…" She gasped for breath as she opened the door to her home. She limped to the washroom, bending down on the floor to face the toilet.

She threw up.

Isa stretched down her limbs on the bed, loving the wave of relaxation that swept her away. On the other side of the city, a small woman stood on a beam of a tall building that was still in construction. She smiled wickedly behind her covered mask.

"The war is coming. Shouldn't I wrap things up quickly before then?"


	9. Chapter 9

Isa was tending to Nico's daily check up until a guest arrived, wanting to speak with him alone. Isa came back twenty minutes later. The blue-haired boy sat on the chair, looking at Nico with a hard glare before rising to leave. He swept past Isa with rudeness, leaving silently. Isa looked back at Nico with a confused look.

"Was everything alright?" She asked.

He gave her a smile.

"Of course. He's just usually a little grump. The thought of coming to see me greatly enticed me." The way he said that was a bit strange, if not a little freaky.

"Oh. I see," was all she could reply.

* * *

She turned on the corner, walked straight. She passed by the stores lined in perfect rows along the sides, walking almost automatically, turning on the right streets and stopping on the red lights. The air was sharp and cold, dry, and she could see her breath in the air. Isa suddenly heard a distant sound of knocking. She turned around and saw a familiar face in the glass of a small shop. A hand waved and a face smiled.

Takatsuki Sen.

She gestured Isa to come in, so Isa did.

"What a surprise to bump into you, Isa~" Takatsuki said once she entered through the door. A big, welcoming smile was expressed on her face.

"Yes. What are you doing here?" Isa asked. Takatsuki plumped onto a chair and made a cute gesture.

"The coffee here is good too."

Isa and Takatsuki had a long conversation about the things on their minds. Isa began to feel more comfortable around her by the minute, and felt she could be a trustworthy person. They talked about random things, from their likes to dislikes, to their hobbies, and work experiences.

"A couple days ago…" Isa started but then stopped, wondering if she should tell her what happened. _Maybe it'll benefit her book, _she thought. Isa felt a close bond to her, even though they just met not too long ago.

Takatsuki stayed silent, patiently waiting for Isa to continue. Isa looked around in case people were listening, she felt the talk about ghouls would be odd in public.

"I encountered a ghoul."

Takatsuki sat straight, her face didn't change. "I'm not making stuff up," Isa said.

"I know. I'm just quite surprised," she replied, her face still blank.

"Quite?"

"That you're alive. What happened?"

Isa explained to her everything that she remembered-to the details of the ghoul's appearance to what they said to her. "Did you see its kagune?" Takatsuki asked.

"Pardon?"

"Ghouls have a predatory weapon they use to defend and attack called kagune. They're like organs that takes in many forms and types."

"Predatory weapons, huh…" Isa laughed awkwardly. "Takatsuki Sen sure knows a lot about ghouls."

"So what happened afterwards?"

"A ghoul investigator saved me. I never noticed him but I guess he was there the whole time. He was standing right behind me when I was trying to escape-after the woman ghoul said something about not being me or something. There were two ghouls. One was a male and the other female. She had...red eyes and a black sclera. When she came up to me she looked surprised or something. She said something about 'not being me' or something. I didn't really know what it meant but she was talking to the male ghoul. The ghoul investigator killed one of them, and I think the woman ran away… The ghoul investigator was kind enough to come back to take me home as well."

"Ooo," Takatsuki teased. "Did you learn anything about him?"

"Only his name. Arima."

_Arima-special class investigator, _Takatsuki thought. She smiled inwardly. The door opened, and someone walked in, she recognized her. She smiled.

"Is something the matter?" Isa asked Takatsuki.

"Isa?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Ina!" It was surprising to see Ina at a dessert shop, knowing that she disliked them.

"Is-a…" Ina looked wide-eyed at her. At the time, Ina was wondering why she could smell something so familiar. She walked over to Isa and the girl.

"This is Takatsuki Sen. Sen, this is Ina, my closest friend," Isa introduced proudly. Ina shook hands with Takatsuki, trying not to linger a stare.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ina," Takatsuki smiled. "So you're the friend that Isa so loves and truly admires."

"Huh? Me?" Ina chuckled. "I know I'm loved but I didn't know I was a role model," she gave Isa a side look smile.

"I never knew you liked sweets," Isa said.

"It was just cold outside, I wanted to warm up a bit. But hey, coffee's not bad," Ina replied.

"Why don't you join us, Ina? We were just leisurely talking," Takatsuki smiled.

Ina hesitated inwardly.

"No, it's alright. I must leave soon because of some things I have to do."

"You're really busy these days, huh?" Isa looked a little disappointed. Ina nodded. "Alright then. I'll you see next time."

"See you," Ina tried to smile genuinely. She stood near the two for a little while, warming her hands by the vents before heading out. A feeling of hesitation grew as she left. She didn't want to leave Isa, but at the same time she didn't want to be there either.

"I sort of knew you from Tatara, your friend."

"Tatara, huh?"

Isa nodded. "He was taking out a stack of your books at a library one day. I accidently bumped into him."

"Hmm, is that so?" She rested her cheek on her hand, then chuckled, an interesting laughter that made her seem more friendly. "Do you have something for him?" She asked in a teasing tone. Isa felt a shock rise from her stomach. Takatsuki laughed cheerfully, then lowered her eyes at Isa, giving a wicked look. "You're blushing. That's a sign."

Isa didn't know how to reply. Was it better to stay silent? Or make a joke about it? Or don't admit it? Laugh? Before Isa could speak, Takatsuki waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him. We're not really that close anyways. Just an acquaintance."

_Acquaintance? _She remembered what Tatara said back in the library. He mentioned her as a friend of his. "But he was taking out your books and called you 'friend'..." Isa said, rushing her words. The thought hit her somewhere deep inside, it hurt to think of them as close friends for a moment.

"So?" Takatsuki replied.

"So…doesn't that mean he...likes you?"

Takatsuki played with her hair. "I have no regards for him. Even if he does have an interest in me, well, it's none of my business. And I hope it won't be."

"Oh." It gave Isa some relief, and she felt guilty for having mixed feelings about Takatsuki.

* * *

"Father… Why did you have to go…? You could have just ran. You wouldn't have to die… I was just being weak. A coward," tears endlessly streamed down her face as she sobbed.

* * *

"Tatara-san."

"Yeah?"

"That woman. It might be better if you took care of things for now," she giggled. Tatara gave her an expressionless look, meaning he was wondering why she was laughing. "When was the last time a woman fell for you?"

He stayed silent. A short moment of silence passed.

"Kanou said the best time is when the CCG strikes. By then, maybe we should play around, see what happens to her."

Another moment of silence passed between them. They observed the city while pondering about different things. For Tatara, it was interesting to have a victim that had a close relationship with an Aogiri member-how it could greatly benefit and make the job a lot easier for them. But he couldn't help but be curiously of her...how did she even fall in love with him? What did he do?

_Foolish woman, _Tatara thought.

"Tatara-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think another Kaneki can be possible?"

"Depends on the odds."


	11. Chapter 11

"Almost fully recovered, Nico."

"How many days?"

"Two."

A look of relief and happiness washed over his face. "I'll finally be able to go back to work… Ah, I'm so excited~"

"Oh, what do you do?"

Nico gave Isa a juicy smile. "Dance for those who are beautiful. Isa, you'd be on the list as well."

Isa laughed, a bit nervous. "Thank you." She couldn't tell if it was a joke or not.

"Let me tell you a story, Isa. I'd appreciate it if you'd listen…"

"Of course," she replied.

Nico shifted comfortably in his bed. Isa watched the shadows of the trees dancing on the blanket. "I once had a friend who I was very close with. We knew everything about each other-at least he did of me. But I never knew everything about him… I always thought we were so close, and would always be close… One day, he just disappeared. I didn't know what happened to him… It took me a long while to find out," he paused.

Isa didn't know how to respond. "So, what happened to him...?" She didn't know if the question would be going too far. Nico stared outside the windows into the distance. His face was still and expressionless, something Isa had never seen of him.

"Unaccepted. Hated by the world around him… He was put to death."

An awkward moment of silence passed-to Isa. "I'm sorr-"

"No need," he cut her off. "I just wanted to tell you. I'm sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable."

"No, not at all… Thank you for sharing."

Nico smiled. _The story of the two friends-perhaps Eto will make it into a book? _

Isa left the room with a cup of tea. Nico took a sip and exhaled. "How will Aogiri do about this?"

* * *

"She lives right there," she pointed far into the distance to the right corner. "She sometimes goes to Arome, or the other bookstores. She'll go straight home after work, ever since the ghoul attack. How are you going to go about it?" Eto asked.

"I'll meet her at the entrance," Tatara responded. _Ghoul attack? _He didn't bother asking, if she was alive, that was all that mattered, wasn't it?

"Alright." They watched the night lights of the city. She spoke. "You remember the father of the girl that joined a couple years ago? He was that old man that was pretty good at combat."

"They left."

"That daughter is friends with her. Be careful. If you meet her, then she'll recognize you. I could tell, she was suspicious about me when we met. I guess I have to fix my scent… Should we get rid of her?"

"Not yet."

"The best time would be before the raid. The main subject should witness it as well-or to some extent," a voice came from behind. "Break her a little. Suffer. Just like Kaneki. I hope that she will become one of our greatest," the man said, a smile on his face.

* * *

Isa could finally go home and relax for the night. The worst part was walking back home, because of the pain she felt each time she used her wounded leg. But without complaining, she walked home, stoic-faced. She thought that if she limped home, random people would ask her if she was okay and ask her how she got the injury, and then she'd have to lie and make up a reason.

She stopped on a red light, absentmindedly staring ahead. People stopped around her, minding their own businesses. She noticed there was a tall person with bright hair standing not too far from her. He was standing in a way that it was obvious that person was looking at her, but she ignored it. Tatara on the other hand, recognized her right away without having to see her whole face.

He waited for her to turn around, say something like 'hi' or 'hello', maybe a faint blush too. Wasn't that what people would say to a person they liked at the least?

When he noticed she didn't notice him, and wouldn't any time soon, he decided to take the first step.

"Isa, was it?"

She didn't respond, nor did she seem to hear him amid the chattering crowd. A bit flustered, he hesitated to try again, but then thought otherwise. It was for the operation of Aogiri. He stopped himself from speaking and observed her. Her brown hair softly blew in the wind, her doe eyes solemn. She murmured something that he couldn't hear, and then she took a step onto the road as the light turned green. Tatara noticed she limped her first step, then walked normally. A curiosity sparked within him.

"Isa," he called out.

She turned around at the notice of her name with a look of surprise on her face. Her eyes grew big when she saw him-it looked like she was baffled and taken aback.

"Tatara?" Isa never thought that there was even the slightest possibility she would meet him randomly on the streets. "What are you doing here?" She blurted.

"Walking," he replied ever so nonchalantly. Then he gestured forward that they best be walking across the street. They walked side-to-side without saying anything for the first few minutes. Isa felt more calmed than awkward, while Tatara felt curious and confused as to why she wasn't speaking. _Maybe she's shy-and clumsy, _he thought, remembering the way she spoke when they met.

"How was your day?" She asked.

Tatara actually had to think about it-actually think. As the leader of Aogiri, he was always busy with tasks, he had no time for leisuring. No one had ever asked him a question concerning himself, especially about his day. Not that he minded, but he never thought about his feelings or opinions on tasks, so he didn't know how to answer the question. He could tell some unease in Isa's body posture because he wasn't replying.

"Normal, you could say," he said, hoping it wouldn't be a weird answer to a human.

"Normal huh? I'll assume it's alright then."

Tatara wanted to mention about her leg, he could smell the sweet scent of blood hidden by layers of clothing. Lingering hesitation pulled them away from starting some kind of conversation.

"I'm going to go buy groceries before it gets late," Isa told him later on.

Tatara nodded, right at her side. He didn't bother saying he would come along, it wasn't his style to talk like that. Isa didn't really mind him tagging along-or it was what it seemed to be, although she wondered what he was thinking about. She already knew from the past experiences that he was quiet, keeping most things to himself. _Maybe he's not talking because I'm not asking him questions, _she thought.

Isa finally broke the silence between them. "Aren't you cold dressed like that?" She eyed his plain tank-top and baggy jeans. It was still mid-winter.

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I'm naturally warm." Tatara hated the way he had to answer these questions. He didn't feel like him-the Aogiri leader him. But somewhere inside, he knew he enjoyed being asked things concerning him.

"Yeah right," Isa said, she didn't believe it for a second. Tatara ignored her remark and kept walking on. Isa was waiting for him to confess he was cold, but since he stayed silent and stoic-faced as usual. Stubborn, she thought. Isa decided to step up. "Here," she said, unwrapping the scarf from her neck. She handed it to him, but he only stared at it. "It's fine. I'm already warm enough anyways," Isa tried to convince.

He still didn't take it.

She sighed and paused. looking at him in the eye. He stared back, a trace of curiosity and expectancy lit in his eyes. Isa slowly and gently wrapped her red scarf around his neck. She felt something like an electrical shock down her spine when her hand unintentionally swiped his hair and cheek. Warmth built up in her face, but she just played it cool.

Tatara watched her as she rolled the long, weightless scarf around his neck, observing her expression-what would have been on her mind-a human's mind. The very own predators and prey humans were to ghouls. How wicked some of their ways were. But this one, someone that probably didn't even know how to dodge a single kagune strike from a C ranked ghoul. A young woman that was oblivious to the fact that he was ghoul. He noticed her face was red, especially she cheek area, but he assumed it was because of the cold. That just lead back to the about how fragile and weak humans were.

She looked calm-kind of happy. It reminded him of his childhood, his dear closest friends, Fei and Yan.

"There," she said, falling back on her feet from a tippy-toe. Her face slightly scrunched in pain as her whole feet made contact on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Tatara asked.

"What's wrong?" She repeated, confused.

"You're in pain."

Isa looked surprised for the split second. "Oh. It's nothing. It just strained my muscles a little from tippy-toeing."

He could smell the blood. She was lying. He knew a human wouldn't be able to track the scent of blood, so he decided to stop the mention about it. Then the conversation he had with Eto replayed in his head. "_Ever since the ghoul attack."._

"I see," he said.

They hurriedly walked to a supermarket nearby. Inside the place was filled with hanging fluorescent lights, with a blast of warm air that came from the vents as the automatic doors slid open.

Tatara watched Isa as her face expressed thought of whether to buy a certain item, or move on to the next section. He wondered why she wouldn't have a plan-know what she came here for instead of wasting precious time. He found her methods interesting, quite amusing.

As Tatara followed Isa around, Isa thought if he wanted something to eat. Maybe a warm drink. She took secret glances at him from time to time, he looked almost perplexed as he looked at items and people, and it was cute.

She went to a coffee stand, Tatara following at her heels. Isa ordered two coffees, handing one to Tatara. He took it, inwardly surprised.

"Thank you," he said.

They headed out with bags of grocery. Without saying anything, Tatara decided to take most of the load, telling her he would help. It set Isa in slight confusion and appreciation for the help, but she couldn't help thinking why he was offering to help her. Had Takatsuki told him about her secret?

"Thank you for helping me. You didn't need to," she said to him as they walked.

Tatara nodded in response.

"Are you sure you're not cold in that…?"

He nodded again, slightly agitated by the repeated question. _Humans are so fragile, _he thought. Then he noticed she was cold without the scarf, facing the ground at most times, huffing under her breath. He stopped, which made her to stop. He set the bags down and unwrapped the scarf around his neck. Isa watched, trying to predict what he was going to do. With the same, blank expression, he took the scarf and put it around her neck, using his memory of how to wrap it like she did.

"I'm not cold," he finally said. He stared at Isa's brown eyes that were locked onto his. She lowered her gaze as she gave in.

"You should best be going home then. I don't want you getting a cold-whether you're cold or not." She waited for an answer but he didn't give her one.

"So you want me to go?" He asked. It made her feel like she was drowning in confusion and more hesitation. She knew the answer, but she was self-conscious to say. He didn't put his eyes off her either, which made her think hastily.

"No," she softly murmured. Tatara felt more amused as her cheeks flushed with vibrant red standing out from the white of winter. He knew that wasn't a reaction from the cold.

"Then let us be on our way," he told her. Without saying anything she continued leading on. If he insisted on helping her, then Isa decided he could take her to the station at the most. She wanted to savour every moment she could.

Isa noticed Tatara came closer and closer as they walked together. Tatara noticed she became alert right away. She was self-conscious-in a good way, he supposed. He could feel the slight nervousness in her demeanor as she kept walking, eyes forward at all time.

A familiar scent formed in the air, moist; a little dense.

Rain.

"It's going to rain," Tatara said.

"Oh, is it?" Isa looked up into the sky. Gloomy and gray. "We're not too far from the station."

"Station?"

"Yeah, I forgot to mention…" Isa lied. "You can leave me from here. I can go home," she told him.

Tatara hesitated, thinking spending more time with her would be better, but then reconsidered. He finally realized that what he'd been doing for her could have led to suspicion more than appeal. He nodded. "Alright then." He handed the rest of the bags to her. She took it, their fingers accidently intertwining with each other as she tried to grab hold of the bag's handle. Tatara saw her cheeks redden softly and couldn't help to laugh a bit. She gave an awkward smile in return.

"Thank you, Tatara-san, for all you've done today." Isa's eyes met with Tatara's. She realized how full of life and captivating his yellow eyes were. "I-Thank you…"


	12. Chapter 12

Not many people believed that nights were dangerous because of ghouls. But if they did, they often most stayed in the crowd, hoping they blended in, hoping that no one was ghoul.

A lot of ghouls did their activities at the night. Killing for a meal wasn't an easy task because of surveillance in the busy streets. Ghoul investigators would also patrol at night. Ghouls' hunting territory were in the remote parts of wards, slowly expanding in some areas while others were diminishing.

A young lady dressed in a dark red maroon cloak walked in the dark streets where many common ghouls resided. People gave her stares as she walked passed, others whispered to one another.

"So sorry about your loss, miss," an elderly woman said to the lady.

"Ah…"

"Your father was a great man… He raised a beautiful daughter."

"Let's plan an attack on them!" A man shouted. Several people started to holler. "The humans will get a taste of our lives!" More people joined in the shout.

"Where should we start!?" Someone else asked.

"The Aogiri raid!" Another voice responded.

"No," the lady spoke. "Let us keep a low profile. Aogiri… They may be strong, but a lot of people will go to sacrifice. Ghoul investigators are not easy opponents."

"You and your father were in Aogiri before, right?"

"We left because it was too dangerous-"

"This is the only chance, don't you understand? You can avenge your father. Aogiri has grown strong in the past few years, has it not?"

"I don't know…"

"C'mon. How many of us are in this?"

Slowly people walked closer, forming a circle around the man and lady. They all agreed with the plan. Her stomach clenched in discomfort. She wished she could just disappear-that none of this happened.

The man who started the rally had a wicked grin on his face. He turned towards the lady.

"So, how 'bout it, Ina?"

* * *

I would like to thank you for all the kind words of encouragements! It means a lot! I'm sorry for not updating these days. I don't have enough time at the moment to write. But around the end of June when I'm done school, I'll have lots more time to work on this story and I'll be updating more regularly then!

Have a nice day~


	13. Chapter 13

"Hmm...do you have a phone, Tatata?" Isa asked him.

"I don't."

"Hmm."

Well, that meant they couldn't communicate when they separated. Isa felt a little disappointed. Truth was, he did have a cell phone.

They spent more time with each other, walking side-by-side. Isa felt a shock each time their hands brushed. She'd look the other way, blushing. Tatara kept his cool, although he had to convince himself that he did not feel anything whatsoever. He started to feel the heaviness of the guilt within him for lying about everything. Their whole relationship was an act.

Tatara glanced at her, pitying. He silently clenched his fist and looked ahead.

"What's wrong, Tatara?" Isa noticed him being tensed up. She took the body language as if he wasn't delighted being with her. "Did you not want to spend time together today…?"

Tatara became baffled at the assumption. "No," he answered. "It isn't that at all." He tried to sound genuine. Isa pouted, doubting him. Tatara smiled. "You over analyze, Isa."

"Hmm...do I?" Her cheeks slightly glowed red as she laughed shyly.

"Too much."

"I'll try not to anymore," Isa smiled. "Where did you want to go?"

Tatara thought briefly. "Do you like high places?"

"High places? Like?"

"Sightseeing on top of buildings."

Isa hesitated. "Are you sure we're allowed to go there? Isn't it trespassing or something?" She asked.

"It's abandoned."

Tatara started walking, stopping when he noticed Isa wasn't following. He looked back at her. She gave him an unsure look, a little uneasy too. Tatara smiled. It had amused him. He walked back and took her hand, gently pulling her towards him. He leaned forward and said in her ear, "I wouldn't do anything to harm you, nor myself."

They went up the large case of stairs to the top of the building. If it were just Tatara going himself, he wouldn't have even used the stairs to get to the top. It would take more time and effort after all. But since Isa was with him-a human-he had to take into consideration of all his actions and methods.

They stood at the roof, looking at the many buildings and streets that made the city of Ano. "It's beautiful," Isa said.

"Yeah."

"Do you come here often?"

"Usually, yes."

The wind breezed through gently. Isa looked out into the distance, in awe of how much she could see from the view. _Maybe...I can see my old house from here. _

"Tatara."

He glanced over at her.

"It always makes me feel so glad when you're always around...I feel like," she smiled, tears forming in her eyes, she felt weak. She didn't want him to see her like this.

Tatara slowly neared her. "I feel loved," she said, then paused.

"When I was young, I lost my parents… I felt so guilty because I was so angry at them earlier that morning, wishing they would die just for such a little, stupid thing…" Tears flowed down her cheeks. "A close friend of mine took me in as their family. Her and her father were so loving and kind… I'm so grateful for them, and...you."

Tatara cupped his hands on Isa's face, gently pulling her closer towards him. His eyelashes brushed her forehead and he looked at the woman that he knew he had feelings for. He swiped her tears with his fingers, and lifted her chin up so their eyes met. She smiled, the last tear falling down her cheek. With a slight laugh, she raised to her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning closer to his face, looking into his eyes. Nervousness filled Isa, she continued to look at Tatara's eyes, thinking doing so would pry open his emotions. Her grip clenched as she began to pull him lower. Isa couldn't stand it anymore. She felt his hand travel through her hair, and then a pressure when he pulled her closer so that only a inch of space between them. She gazed into his placid eyes, feeling his warmth radiating from his body and his breaths against her skin. With a jerk she pulled him forwards until their lips touched. A surge of heat and shock flowed through her body, then was laced through with a calming and relaxed sensation.

They stood and watched the sun slowly set.

"I'll take you home-actually this time," Tatara said.

Isa sighed playfully. "Well...if you insist and really want to take the subway home by yourself," she paused. "Where do you live?"

"In a condo not too far from here."

They headed down. Tatara started to feel the urge to say something about himself. Something more personal. For all the things that Isa had told him-even if it where just little things that didn't matter, he wanted to express himself at the least to the woman he started to develope feelings for. He tried to remember the last time he ever loved someone as much as Isa, but then the horrifying thoughts of the purpose of his whole relationship clouded his mind. To become...something that she could never go back to. To ruin her life for the sake of Aogiri's next step.

_But I truly love her… _He thought to himself.

No, he wasn't stupid. He knew that wasn't an excuse for what was to be done to her. His heart clenched and felt heavy. He wished that he gotten someone else that did the job from the beginning. His memories traveled back to when they first met at the cafe. When she had bumped into him, spilling matcha all over his clothes; when he had bumped into her again at the library.

Isa suddenly grabbed hold of Tatara's hand, locking her fingers with his. She blushed and looked away. The pain that Tatara felt melted away, and he squeezed her hand and walked on. He felt glad that he had met such a person, he didn't know what would have happened if another Aogiri member was in his place.

_This would have never happened with someone else, since I am the only one that ever went to Arôme, _he thought. He wanted to forget about everything, wished that she didn't have to be the one-wished that she wasn't human.

"Tatara," Isa said, making him snap out of his thoughts. "Is that a little girl?"

Tatara looked ahead where Isa was looking at.

"Seems so."

"What's a little girl doing out in the night alone?" Isa let out of his hand and rushed forwards. Tatara felt a little curious as to why she would even care. Maybe it was just a human thing to be concerned for one another. Ghouls were not very much like that. No ghoul felt the need to care of others that they did not know, they were mostly other beings that was an interference to their territory. Sometimes they were even the prey or predator.

Tatara caught up with Isa and heard her talking to the child.

"Do you know where you live?"

"No…" The little girl said with an innocent, scared voice. She was hugging herself, keeping herself closed offish, or she was just trying to stay warm. She looked at Isa and then at Tatara. "I saw my mommy walking over there," she pointed far head. "She told me to wait here, but she didn't come back yet…"

_A human mother letting her child be alone in the night? How foolish, _Tatara thought.

Isa bent down to level her height with the child's. "Hey, we'll help you find your mommy, don't worry," Isa said. "My name is Isa, and that man over there is Tatara," she gestured over to him. "What's your name?"

"M-Mika," the little girl looked over at Tatara, who, in return, gave her an emotionless look. She quickly snapped her head back to Isa and walked to her, seemingly wanting to be near her instead of him. He didn't care. To him, he'd wished that Isa didn't have to help this human child who lost her mother due to the mother's own foolishness. But he gave in shortly after.

The little girl began to direct Isa where her mother had went, trotting ahead. Isa looked back and gave Tatara a look. He narrowed his eyes and walked on after the girl.

"Slow down!" Isa was telling the kid, laughing a bit. The girl seemed overly excited to find her mother.

"This is weird," Tatara said to himself. Isa just smiled to herself and continued walking.

Mika stopped in her tracks, looking like she had just seen something.

"I think…" She paused, straining to see in the dark. "There she is!" The girl jumped and broke into a run, sprinting across the road.

"Wait! Mika! Don't run on the streets!" Isa yelled.

A light flashed passed the road. The next three seconds where just a blur and a mass of fear and shock for a normal human. But Tatara saw it all so clearly, and a terrifying sound ripped through the air. Isa screamed, her eyes widened in terror. The young girl was hit with a vehicle and flew, her lifeless body skidding across the concrete road. The car ended up sliding, smashing into a building. Something wasn't right anymore-Tatara knew. He sensed it-the smell: a ghoul.

"Isa!" He yelled, dashing ahead to grab her away-but then the realization that he could not reveal himself struck him and he stopped. He grabbed Isa's shoulders and briefly stopped her from dashing forwards towards the dead girl-or was she dead?

A flash of light as quick as lightning came flying towards Tatara and Isa. In that split second he decided he had no choice but to fight back. He had to get her unconscious.

* * *

Feeling refreshed and ready to continue the story! Recently came up with more juicy scenes to add on in the later chapters-and I'm trying to decide whether to write another fan-fiction of an OC and Eto. If I do, I'm going to try to mention her (OC) in this story before it ends.

Sorry for the long wait, more updates coming soon~

~janice


	14. Chapter 14

Isa's mind was spinning. She sensed a threat near-she didn't know what to do. Tatara.

_What would happen to him? What happened to Mika?_

She swiftly turned around. A flash of redness appeared in the corner of her eye before she felt a quick but a harsh throb on the side of her temple. Everything blurred for a split second before everything went back.

Tatara had to do it. He couldn't afford getting caught. He snatched her body before it fell to the ground and jumped to higher ground and lay her on the roof on a building.

He stared at the ghoul who had tried to attack him. He stood unperturbed; didn't bother to unleash his kagune or kakugan. He knew his opponent would be weak, considering the poorness of her tactics.

The other ghoul was on another building across from him. She licked her lips, panting. "Ahh…" She slurred. "You're a ghoul as well?" She smirked. "Then I'll devour both of you." She laughed, a weird, high-pitched snicker. "My little daughter played a magnificent role, ahh. Such a good girl," she snickered again, lashing her rinkaku kagune around in excitement.

Was she saying that she couldn't sense that he was a ghoul? Tatara wondered.

"You threw away your daughter's life just for a meal?" Tatara lowered his eyes in disgust. He had no time to play games with a low-ranked ghoul that was so foolish.

She gone into stance and lunged forwards, using one tentacle of her kagune as a boost of speed. Tatara saw her movements too clearly. He intended of wiping the pathetic smile of her face. He stopped her in mid-air, stabbing through her heart with his hand. Her eyes grew wide. Tatara felt all of her blood rushing up her body. He swung her away, flinging her across the rooftop before she coughed out blood. Her lifeless body laid crippled on the other side.

Tatara looked at his bloody hand before looking at Isa. What was he supposed to do now? His gaze shifted and looked at the car that crashed into another building. People were starting to run up to the car and the little girl, many of them yelling for an ambulance. No one had noticed him or the other ghoul. He cleaned the blood off his hand with his shirt and picked Isa up, disappearing into the darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

The room was illuminated by the moonlight. The cool breeze entered through the opened windows, the curtains softly dancing with the air. This place wasn't familiar to Isa at all. The room was a small.

She realized that she wasn't in her home. The unease grew within her as she also realized she couldn't remember why she was even there. Footsteps were heard nearby, and a silhouette emerged from the dark corner.

"You're awake." The voice was Tatara's. "Are you feeling alright?"

Isa had to think before answering. "I guess so...I kinda feel a little hazy or something-tired I guess. What happened to me?"

"You…" He began and stopped. He sat at the edge of the bed. "You were knocked out."

"How?" Then, the memory of what happened earlier sprang into her mind. "What happened!? Is Mika okay?" She rose to a sitting position, alertness quickly strengthening her body.

"She's probably dead. I saw ambulances coming and people gathering around. Don't know what happened to the driver either. But they're probably dead. No one can survive such a severe incident," his voice was calm, and that was when he realized he shouldn't have sounded that way.

"Are you alright!?" She grabbed his arm, surprised by her impulse.

"I'm fine."

"How did you escape the ghoul?!"

Tatara gave her a blank look, trying his best to look confused, but he knew that he just wasn't used to acting.

"Ghoul?" He gave her a raised brow.

"Ah...nevermind. Sorry. It's just…" she trailed, not knowing what to say. She let her grip off of his arm, staring absentmindedly into the darkness of the room. It felt as if she made a mistake to mention and assume such things, he probably thought she was crazy for believing ghouls existed. But what was that flash of light that she saw? Was it a traffic light?

Tatara's hand grabbing hers made her snap back to her senses.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" He asked her, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Well…" Isa began. She scooted over so that he could have more space to sit. Instead, he took the action differently and lied down beside her. Nervousness built up in Isa's chest as Tatara rested on his side, facing Isa.

"I've encountered a ghoul before, not too long ago. That's why I had my leg injury," she said.

After Tatara didn't respond, she continued.

"They had red eyes, and it seems they were very mobile. A ghoul investigator saved me before the ghouls killed me. If it hadn't been for that investigator, I would have been long dead," she smiled pathetically. "It's amazing how people can be able to face danger and fight back. Something...I don't think I'll ever be able to do."

Tatara looked at Isa's face, partly lit with light but mostly shadowed, but he could still make out all the features of her face.

Curiosity filled him. "What do you think about ghouls?" Tatara asked her.

That was a familiar question-Takatsuki had asked the same thing.

"The ghoul I saw, they said something about how their lives are constantly hunted down everyday. I mean-I know why people do and how they're a threat to us, but-I don't know... It seems we're very alike. They have feelings like us-they aren't animals-they have feelings and thoughts, just as complex as ours. If they only eat humans as survival...well… It's hard. I don't know. My parents...they were killed by ghouls. I came home one day and saw blood everywhere." She paused, trying to get the memory out of her head before she would start to cry again.

"Well...I don't know. I just go by the thought of everything is there for a reason," she smiled, feeling embarrassed and childish. "But it's hard. For them. For us."

Tatara was interested by her answer. He stayed silent, thinking.

"You must think I'm crazy, don't you?" Her voice was laced with unease.

"No. Not at all," Tatara replied, wishing his voice could be more convincing.

"You're lying," she said barely in a whisper. Really, Isa didn't know if he was lying or not.

Tatara gave her an observant look, his face devoid of expression. He wasn't planning on convincing her, it just wasn't like him to justify himself. Instead, he brushed strands of hair that covered Isa's eyes, tucking them behind her ear.

"I'm not lying," he told her.

Isa inhaled, giving in. Her eyes traveled around the room, taking it all in since her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. A chair was partly hidden by the corner, where it seemed a table stood. A small couch was on the opposite side of the room. That was all she could see.

"Is this your place?"

"Yeah."

It was mostly empty, but it gave off a warm coziness that Isa liked. Or, she thought, that she only liked it because it was his.

"You have work tomorrow, don't you?" Tatara asked.

"Yeah." She completely forgot about it.

Tatara got off the bed. He disappeared and reappeared with something that looked like clothes in his hands.

"Get changed into these. I'll wash your clothes for tomorrow," he said monotonically.

Bashful, Isa took the clothes and Tatara left, giving her privacy. She heard him shut a door somewhere.

Isa slowly undressed herself and slipped his T-shirt and shorts on, both of them a little bigger than her size. She grabbed her clothes and walked towards the room Tatara was in. Turned out she was right, the bed was in a living room, with a table and a single chair. There was the kitchen, and a hallway that lead to a few other rooms.

"I'm done," she said, standing before the door she thought Tatara was in.

He came out and took her clothes, walking passed her and disappearing into the hallway.

Isa sat on the couch, waiting to Tatara to come. She heard his footsteps as he came close. He stopped after seeing her sitting on the couch, as if he was confused.

"I can sleep on the couch for tonight," she said plainly when he was staring at her.

"It's not as comfortable on the couch. Best if you slept on the bed."

"But...it's your bed."

Tatara walked and plumped onto the bed-an action Isa was surprised to see. Somehow it was adorable.

He looked at her, his golden eyes reflecting the moonlight. She couldn't tell what he was thinking-it was almost impossible to read this thoughts when his expression was always so apathetic.

"Come here," he said in a gentle, emotionless voice.

Isa rose to her feet without thinking. It made her remember the time when she first saw in at the cafe, when she had stood on impulse. She walked over to him, remembering when she was first trying to approach him. She sat on the bed, then crawled over to the far side. Tatara lied down beside her, facing his back towards her. He felt like he would make her uncomfortable if it seemed like he was going look at her until he fell asleep.

"Goodnight," Isa said quietly.

Tatara felt something in his chest. He was surprised. "...Goodnight."

Sleep slowly came. Isa's mind was drifting away, but a question popped into her head. Why didn't she go to the hospital after she was knocked out? How did she even get knocked out? Her mind was too hazy to process to think straight.

"Tatara," she said. "How did I get knocked out?" She could tell she was tired by her voice.

There was no reply. He was probably asleep. Isa's eyelids were heavy. It felt like she was half asleep, half awake.

Soon, her eyes shut and sleep came peacefully.

Isa woke up to a bright, orange sunlight shining through the windows. She noticed a clock hung at the other end of the room, indicating she woke up at the right time to get ready for work. Her gaze fell on Tatara who was fast asleep next to her, his body rising up and falling down slowly in even, calm breaths. He was now facing Isa, his hair messy and his red T-shirt crinkled.

She cautiously slid off the bed, not wanting to wake Tatara up. Her clothes were folded on the table-she guessed that Tatara woke up early to take it out of the dryer. The thought made her happy, it was an adoring thing to do.

She changed in the kitchen, leaving Tatara's clothes on the table and looking at him one last time. A smile formed on Isa's face and she left.


	16. Chapter 16

Tatara woke up later that morning, his body hungry for food. He noticed Isa was gone, probably long before he woke up. It was almost afternoon. He didn't know why he slept for so long.

Tatara took a shower and changed into a pair of clean clothes, then wore his cloak. He had to meet up with Aogiri that night for a meeting with Dr. Kanou.

On his way, a thought that never occurred before rose into his head. Why didn't Isa seem appetizing at all when she was around him? Why didn't the thought of her as a meal ever occur to him? Was it because he was in love with her? But then why didn't he think of her as a meal in the start? _Is it because she's just going to be a test subject? _The thought pierced through his mind like a bullet.

_No, _he quickly told himself.

_Test subject… _

He didn't want to think about it. He had to get his mind off it. _Why am I so weak? _

Tatara grabbed coffee before heading off to Aogiri.

The meeting was finally over. Tatara brushed his hair back with a hand while opening the door to the roof. The air was fresh and relaxing. It soothed his mind from the endless planning and discussing from the tight-aired room.

He stood near the edge of the roof, staring. It always made him calm-watching from high grounds in peace. He and his friends did it way back in the past, talking about personal matters and sharing cherishable moments. He'd never forget them.

Footsteps in uneven intervals came from behind. Tatara knew who it was without even looking at her. She carried a human leg cut in half in her arms, tossing it to Tatara when she came in front of him.

"You came a lot later than usual today, Tatara-san. What caused the delay?"

Tatara brushed through his hair again with his hand, feeling a bit of frustration because it made him think of...her.

"I slept in," he said in his normally expressionless voice.

"Hmm?"

Eto walked over to the edge, bending down to sit. She swung her legs carelessly and hummed like a bored child. Tatara ignored the hums from his comrade and continued to enjoy the peacefulness of the view.

Eto stopped humming and swinging her legs. She turned her head back at Tatara, who, did not lay his eyes off the city and orange sunset.

"How is your relationship going with that woman, Isa?"

The mention of her name snapped his attention towards Eto. "It's going fine," he replied.

"Is it?" Eto turned her gaze back to the city. She started to giggle. "Is it...fun?" She asked with a hint of mockery. Tatara narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

When Tatara didn't respond, Eto continued. "Kanou was thinking… Instead of using Isa as a to-be artificial ghoul, maybe we could plan something different…"

Tatara still didn't respond. Anger started to boil inside of him-but he well knew that he was a part of the plan-and he was guilty too.

"A hybrid will definitely excel than of an artificial," Eto said in a matter-of-fact, but there was still suggestion in her voice.

He clenched his fists. "No. I will not be with a human…"

"Don't you think you'll be able to convince her once she knew about the truth? Like how my mother loved my father regardlessly."

"She's not like that. She's just confused and pitiful. Just like any other human. Let's stick with the original plan. There's a higher rate of success."

"Okay."

It was the first time where Tatara did not feel at ease when observing the view.


	17. Chapter 17

Isa hadn't heard of Tatara for a couple of days. He didn't have a cell phone either, and it seemed he didn't even have a phone in his condo.

_Maybe I should go to his house, _she thought. Her mind drifted off to when she slept over at his house-when they were sleeping on the _same _bed. Isa face-palmed with both hands, feeling flustered at the memory. _Why did that have to happen? _She asked herself. But she knew she liked it no matter how many times she tried to deny it.

_Maybe Ina wants to hang out today. _Isa grabbed for her phone inside her purse. She dialed her friend's number.

Her cellphone rang with a cheerful ringtone. She hadn't heard it for a few weeks. She knew who it was; only one person was set with that ringtone. Ina was sitting with her back leaned on the wall on her bed. She hadn't opened the blinds for sunlight. Her hair was in a messy bun and she wore pajamas.

She reached out for her phone, staring at the caller name before answering.

"Isa?" She said.

"Hey, Ina. Wanna hang out today?" Her friend asked from the other end.

"Nah, not today. I have a headache. I think I'm starting to get a bad fever."

"Want me to make you something warm to eat? I'll be right there."

"No, it's okay. Thank you. I already ate some chicken noodle soup. I'm just going off to bed."

"Alright. Get better soon."

"Don't end the call," Ina blurted.

"Why? Is something the matter?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you," Ina laughed.

"No. Get your sleep," Isa said in her demanding voice.

Ina could feel her friend smiling on the other end. "Yeah, mother? I haven't talked to you in a while."

"Yeah, and I wanted to meet up with you today but you're _sick. _What did you do?" Isa asked as if she did something terribly wrong.

"No idea. Maybe over working." Ina managed a smile, even though her friend wouldn't see it.

"Well...get your rest, okay? Or I'll come dashing into your house to take care of you."

"And then you'll start giving me another health lecture cuz you're nurse."

"Exactly."

Ina couldn't help to smile. She thought that Isa-no matter what she's been through, she was always so strong. It came to realization that even Isa lost both her parents long before from ghouls. From Ina's kind.

"Fine then, doctor," Ina said in a gentle tone. "I'll go rest."

"Let's catch up when you're better."

"Mhm." Ina ended the call. She stared at the screen before laying her phone at her side, staring at the ceiling of her dim room.

"You're all I have left."

* * *

After an agonizing day he could finally leave to go home-to rest. But before that he had to do something. He could no longer bear the guilt anymore. To spare the only human woman he loved, he knew it was the right thing to do.

It hurt him to think of it; what he would say and how she would react.

_I wish that we never met. _

He didn't know exactly where she lived. How could he have forgotten to ask such a little question. _But it is a good thing, _he told himself. If he didn't know, then he wouldn't have to do it. A pitiful excuse. He knew that he was more pathetic than he really was.

Tatara paid attention to all the details of the street, trying to get a grasp of memory where Eto had said Isa lived. He was in the right location, that he was sure.

It was more of a suburban area, with many neighbourhoods and many corner stores. Tatara felt more at unease by the minute, trying to find Isa's house. He thought that hopefully she would come back from work soon. He had to do it, he kept on telling himself.

He went from street to street, just to become more lost. He was about to give up for the day.

_Her phone number. _

He remembered that she have him her cell phone number and her phone number. He grabbed his phone from his side pocket, holding it tightly. It was a flip phone from long ago. His father had given it to him when he used to be leader of their group-the old group of friends and family before Aogiri. He had lost them all, but still had so much, yet so little.

He saved Isa's number on his phone. He pressed the dial button. A flurry of agitation spun in his chest as he was waiting for her to pick up the phone. He'd never knew in his whole life that this would ever even occur to someone like him.

He let out a curt laugh. _Humans and ghouls. How could I have ever even think for a second that it would go out well? _

"Hello?" A cautious voice answered the phone.

"Isa," Tatara said, trying to sound serious.

"Tatara?" Her voice sounded surprised with a mixture of gladness.

"I want to talk to you, if that's alright with your schedule."

"Oh, yes. I'm-"

Yelling came from behind. At first Tatara thought it was coming from the other end, but he realized it was coming from behind him.

"Help! Catch the boy!" A man yelled from far away. Tatara noticed a small boy running towards him with something in his hand. He looked terrified.

_He must have stolen something. _

Tatara looked unfazed at the child. When the boy was about to pass him, Tatara quickly grabbed his arm that held the item. He felt the adrenaline surge within the kid, his eyes wide in aggression and panic.

_How to handle with kids? _He wondered.

"Hey, kid. You know you're not supposed to steal."

All of a sudden, the boy swiftly grabbed something from his pocket. It gleamed in the light. In that split second, Tatara knew what was going to happen. And it did. He knew the blade wouldn't be able to pierce him, but he felt the sting of flesh tearing-it was a glass shard.

His grip was still tight on the boy. Tatara could smell the boy wasn't human. He looked at the boy-his eyes-

Kakugan.

Tatara instantly let go of the boy's arm, grabbing the area of his fresh wound, watching the boy run away. _A ghoul?_

He looked back at the man from afar-he probably didn't see his injury, since he'd just shook his head and walked back into the shop. Or what if he was a ghoul too? And why would the boy reveal himself as ghoul? Especially a child, Tatara wondered. He was in utter disbelief. His gaze shifted towards bloody trickling down his arm, dripping onto the ground. It was a long time since he'd seen his own blood. He was beginning to worry that he wasn't himself anymore-why was he so inalert?

"Hello? Hello?" A faint voice called, distracting him from any further thoughts. He looked down at this phone. He must have dropped it when he caught the kid. He bent down to pick it up, bringing it to his ear.

"My apologies, Isa. I-something happened."

"Where are you at the moment?" She asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm at…" Tatara looked up at the street name, then, told her.

"Really? I live right around the corner there-and I'm just a block away."

That was just great. Isa would be there any minute, and he wouldn't be able to regenerate that quickly, and if he did, there was still the nasty blood stain on his clothes. He had no plan B for this situation. He sighed in frustration. He felt a bit off for the past couple of days, ever since that ghoul incident with Isa. When she had asked him when they were sleeping about what happened to her. He couldn't reply.

"Tatara. Did you happen to know that I lived around here?" Isa asked.

"...Yes. Takatsuki told me."

"T-Really?" She started giggling.

Tatara was more concerned about what he was going to do with Isa when she came. Knowing her, she probably would mend the wound and become protective. Plus, he had just used his cell phone to contact her. He immediately snapped his phone in two and shoved it down his pocket, his anger soothing a bit.

_Why did I have to come here today? _

"Tatara!" Isa's voice came from behind.

He gave up on hiding it; he knew it was no longer the best time to do what he originally came for. Turning towards Isa, he said. "I've gotten injured…" The words that came out of his mouth was so awkward to him he could have cringed. He just wasn't used to showing his emotions at all.

Upon seeing his injury, Isa ran up to him, her content look changing into a concerned one. She inspected his arm. "What happened?" She demanded to know, her eyes darted from one side of Tatara to another. "Never mind that, it needs to be treated quickly before it's infected. My house is just down that street," she said quickly while she motioned ahead. Her eyes fell upon Tatara's, a strange mix of confusion and concern in them.

Without saying anything, she lead on, Tatara right behind her.

Her house was the perfect size for at least three or four people. It was vintage-styled. The floors were polished and made of smooth wood. Isa lead the way into her neat and tidy living room with a light matcha coloured curtain, a set of couches and chairs and cushions. It appeared that every room had its own theme of colours.

"Sit here," Isa told him. "I'll be back." She left.

Tatara took a seat on a chair. His eyes fixated on the interior decoration of the room. It made him feel relaxed, perhaps it was the colour. His feet rubbed against the soft rug made of intertwining fuzzy material, also a light tinted green.

Isa appeared into the room carrying a large box of first aid. She sat in front of Tatara-on the floor-impatiently flipping the box open and grabbing the correct materials. Without saying anything, she grabbed his wrists to stretch his arm until it was straightened. Her grip was tight on him, and she stayed silent as if she was angry. Her face was stern, focusing at the wound. Tatara was expecting her to say something at least, but she didn't even bother looking up at him.

First, she started by examining the wound closely, as if she was looking for something that would have been stuck in his skin. When she found nothing, she leaned back, taking in a small breath. Her hands grabbed for the bag of cotton balls without looking at where it was. She soaked it with water and then started working her way down his arm, cleaning the blood.

Isa suppressed a sigh and leaned back, looking at Tatara. "How did this happen?" She asked, grabbing the bottle of antiseptic.

"There was this kid that was stealing something from one of the shops. While I was talking to you I heard someone yelling at me to catch the boy, so I did," Tatara looked away from Isa's gaze. He mumbled, "if I had been more alert I would have evaded…"

"What?" Isa asked.

"It's nothing," he replied tonelessly.

Isa appeared to be in deep thought. She soaked a medical sponge with the antiseptic and lay the bottle back in the kit. "This will sting a bit." She gripped Tatara's tricep, leaning in. She gently skimmed on the wound, causing Tatara to flinch as the alcohol felt like it sizzled his flesh.

Tatara let an exhale. _It truly was a while since I've been injured… _

Isa snapped her gaze back at Tatara all of a sudden, her eyes showing some kind of expectation. "A boy, you said?" She asked, her voice hinting anticipation.

"Yes," he replied, looking at her straight in the eye.

"And he stole something from a store."

"Yes."

"What was he stealing, do you know? Was the boy about this tall?" Isa demonstrated the height using her hand, placing it about four feet and a half from the floor.

Tatara thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah, about that tall. He also had brown hair. And I think he was stealing some kind of bottle of something-it smelled like medicine," Tatara instantly wished he didn't say the last part. He had forgotten that humans didn't have as strong sense of smell as ghouls. He hoped Isa wouldn't catch what he'd said.

Isa narrowed her eyes in deep thought-it was clear that she wasn't thinking about what Tatara said though, but something else, something that made her expression turn into a sorrowful one.

"I know that boy," she said softly. "His life is just filled with negativity and sorrow. I don't know that much, but he's going through a lot of tough times with family and such. I told him I would buy something he needed if he just waited. But I guess…"

_Does she know he's a ghoul? _Tatara wondered.

"Please forgive the boy. He's not bad. He's actually a good kid...I know that he injured you, and the injury could have been far worse, but-"

"It's fine," Tatara said, cutting her off.

"Really?"

He nodded.

Isa smiled, going back to treating his wound. Tatara stared at her, his mind thinking about the kid. He wanted to tell her he was a ghoul, wanted to see her reaction, but hesitation won, sealing his mouth shut. He felt at unease-he could just say it, let it out, but he couldn't. Just exactly why was he hesitating? What was his fear? He just didn't know.

"All done," Isa announced, clipping the bandage with a clip.

"Thank you."

"Mhm."

Their eyes met with each other. Isa's mouth curved into a warm smile. She reached her hand out on top of Tatara's head. "Your hair became longer," she said, brushing through his hair.

"I'll have to get it cut soon," he said, grabbing hold of her hand.

"No, I like it this way," she insisted. "Don't cut it, not yet," she smiled. He sighed playfully.

"Fine."

Isa's face lit up as if a kid had something exciting to share. "Are you hungry?" She asked, anticipation in her face.

One of the last things Tatara wanted to do was to eat human food. "I'm not very hungry at the moment."

"Hmm, I see," Isa replied, cocking her head.

Tatara looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. Did he seem suspicious? Or did it just hurt her feelings? All he really wanted to do was to go home. His main and only objective of coming to see her was to break their ties, so that he and she would no longer have to suffer. But it just went all downhill, and it was all his fault-his fault for letting himself get injured.

"Some tea, perhaps?" Tatara suggested when Isa kept on staring at him with hopeful eyes.

"How 'bout some matcha tea?"

He nodded.

Isa lead Tatara to the kitchen, allowing him to sit where ever he pleased on one of the many counter chairs. Isa started to boil the water, opening covers to get the tea. Tatara's eyes drifted around the kitchen in awe. The theme for this room was floral and marbley. Every inch of the house was neat and tidy, fancy as well. It looked like a whole entire family lived in it, but he knew that Isa lived alone, that she had no parents-no family.

"Your house...is awfully big," Tatara said as a joke.

Isa laughed. "I love to decorate things, especially furniture and house stuff. It just makes things a lot more lively," she said, taking a good look at the room, smiling with pride.

Once the water was finished boiling, Isa took the teapot and poured tea into cups, serving herself and Tatara. She came and sat in front of him on the counter, handing a cup to him.

Tatara ended up staying a lot later than he planned to. They talked about many things, bonding closer together. He enjoyed it nonetheless, but at the same time he felt like he was just lingering. A feeling of numbness came over his senses. A pang of sadness and heaviness weighed his chest. But he just brushed it away. He no longer wanted to care, just wanted to erase everything. He was a ghoul, after all. And he had his own business to take care of as the leader of Aogiri.

_But why is it me? _He kept on asking himself.

He entered into his apartment and lay on his bed, a hand over his eyes. A headache emerged from the pit of his brain, the pain spreading to his temples. His whole entire day was stressful. Stress from the meeting, stress from the thought of letting his guard down for the slightest moment and getting injured, stress from all of the things he did that would have made him seem suspicious to Isa. But he knew it wouldn't matter anymore-because it was all over. Everything would slowly go back to normal…

"I wish I never met you.


	18. Chapter 18

Days have past.

Isa hadn't been in touch with Tatara in a long while.

She lied down on her bed after finishing a book she had borrowed from the library. It was one of the new releases, written by an author Isa had never heard of. She was very sure it was a pen name, since the author's name was Clowns. It was a poem book called "Two Separate Minds, Two Worlds, Two Lives" with illustrations by oil pastels. The main story was interesting to Isa, which was why she wanted to read it. Although short, it was quite meaningful in depth, about two friends who were completely different, and their lives were a contrast. The ending was quite sad, as one friend died in front of the other from an illness.

Tatara suddenly came into her mind. She wanted to see him for so long. She wondered how his recovery was doing-if he'd taken off the bandage right when he came home, knowing he was a bit stubborn.

Rolling over, she got off the bed and headed to the kitchen to get some tea, and sat on an armchair in the living room, looking out the window. Then it hit her. How did Tatara talk to Isa on the phone on the day he'd gotten injured near her house? She closed her eyes and thought, trying to remember exactly everything that happened that day when she met him on the street. There was no payphone nearby, and Tatara didn't have a cellphone on him, unless it was in a pocket. _Wait, did he have a pocket? _

The more she thought of it, the more it made her wonder if Tatara really did have a phone all this time, and he had just hid it from her. The thought of it stung her. _Maybe all this time he was… No. No. _

She abruptly stood from her seat and went back into her room and grabbed her phone, searching through her phone call history. The number was there. She dialed it. A message saying the call could not be forwarded cut the dial tone, making Isa feel more desperate and doubtful. She tried again, and then again, but each time the same thing happened.

_Don't jump into conclusions… What if he's busy? _

Sitting on her bed, she closed her eyes and tried her best to relax. Why did something so strange just come into her head now? And why wouldn't Tatara want to give her his number?

* * *

More days have past. Tatara didn't contact Isa in any way. She was planning on to visiting his house after work-until she remembered about Takatsuki's business contact number that she had given to her a long time ago. Isa thought that catching up with her would be nice, since they hadn't talked since.

They met at the bookstore where they first met each other, sitting at the same table.

Isa took a sip of coffee, while Takatsuki played with a sugar spoon.

"It's been awhile, Isa," Takatsuki said, giving a warm smile.

"Yes it has. I wanted to contact you sooner but I had no chance. How is everything going for you?" Isa politely asked.

Takatsuki dropped the spoon into her empty cup, an expression of amusement crossing her face as she smirked. She shifted her eyes back towards Isa, sitting up straight from her slouching position.

"I've been doing good. Everything is going well. It's smooth, nice. How about you, Isa? How are things with your work, and-Tatara?" She gave Isa an evil grin.

"Ah, well. It's been good, but also really strange. Like… Well…"

Isa told her the story of how there was a weird attack with the little girl, but she didn't mention about staying at his house for the night. She talked about Tatara and his injury, and how he mysteriously called her.

"Well," Takatsuki said. "He actually does have a phone-from when I saw him a year ago. It was an old flip phone, and it didn't work properly from what he'd told me. He said it sometimes worked and then sometimes it wouldn't work. I told him to get a better phone but he refused, saying it was just a waste of money. And well, if he still has that piece of garbage, then maybe that's why he isn't responding your calls, and maybe that thing really broke for good."

Isa made a thinking face, weighing the possibilities.

"Maybe he never told you about it because he was self-conscious," Takatsuki suggested. "Even if he seems really careless, apathetic and stuff, he still has feelings of self-consciousness. Every human does."

"I guess so," Isa replied, absentmindedly looking out the window while thinking of Tatara. "He needs a new phone, gosh." She looked back at Takatsuki, who, looked back at Isa with a smirk on her face that slowly turned into a big grin. Isa knew what she was thinking. And she smiled as well.

* * *

Eto wondered why Tatara wasn't keeping in touch with her. Was he getting tired of her? She wondered.

_That couldn't be the case…_ Eto knew that Tatara was able to do anything that could gain him an advantage for Aogiri. Something was a little off.

Eto leaned back on the pile of construction beams, exhaling. "No," she said to herself. Her lips curved upwards to a smirk, and she leaned forwards again, giggling.

_Can it really be? _

_Is he trying to…_

_Protect her?_

* * *

Tatara attended another meeting concerning the actions of the CCG before the upcoming raid. He dispatched squads to different wards. They needed as much information as possible by spying on the CCG's actions to decipher and make their move. Always staying ahead of the CCG was Tatara's top priority. The raid was in three days. They needed to win this battle-redeem their previous losses.

The squads left with their assigned tasks, leaving the executives of Aogiri and Tatara in the big gym of the abandoned school building they took over. Tatara then dismissed the other executives, to either patrol, train, or catch up with the squads who were doing their missions.

Eto and Tatara were the only ones in the gym. It was the usual, since Tatara and Eto were the main leaders of Aogiri. They were also close friends ever since they were young teens.

Tatara rose from his seat in mind to go back home, but Eto broke the silence and spoke. "Isa is starting to worry about her relationship with you because you wouldn't contact her through your phone. Were you hiding it from her the whole time?"

"I called her once using my phone only because I had to. I guess she told you about everything?"

"Hmm. I don't think it was..._everything,_" Eto laughed, but cut it short. "And I told her that your phone is broken."

Tatara didn't reply. Eto knew that he was about to leave-she figured that he wasn't in the mood anymore-if what he felt about Isa was true. She watched him walk out the door, then smiled inwardly.

_Two separate minds, two worlds, two lives._

_How...pitiful._

* * *

:)


	19. Chapter 19

Tatara had just finished taking a shower before his doorbell rang.

Isa waited on the other side, tightly gripping onto the little bag with his present, feeling anxious. She never felt this way when she gave surprises to Ina, however with Tatara, it just had to be a bit different.

The door swung open, and a shirtless Tatara stood in front of her, one hand holding the doorknob while the other was holding a small towel against his head. Isa-completely stunned by his abruptness and apparel, looked at him speechlessly, hoping in the back of her mind that she wasn't blushing.

Tatara stared at her for a long moment before taking a step back. "You may come in," he said nonchalantly. He silently walked away back to his room, leaving her alone.

Isa suddenly felt cold from all the shivers and shocks that attacked her. She stepped inside and closed the door, and then leaned against a wall.

_He really shouldn't have been dressed that wa-... But he's a guy, so it's okay-no, arrrrg. _She buried her face in her hands and told herself to cool down. Her mind was a mess, like a tangle. Her face felt so hot, and upon noticing that, her whole body felt hot.

"Are you okay?" Tatara asked.

Isa swiftly stood up straight. "Yeah, I'm okay." She bit her tongue, hoping that Tatara didn't notice her feeling...a bit off from what happened. But of course, she knew he was a lot smarter than that-and that he was also ignoring it. At least he didn't make her feel more embarrassed than she already was.

Tatara was now wearing a shirt and sitting on his bed in the living room. He looked up at her and gestured with his hand to sit beside him.

"I hope you were doing well the past several days," she said while walking to him.

"I was fine. Sorry for not contacting you in any way. It was just that my phone broke."

"Oh, about that," she said, sitting on the mattress. "This is for you," she said, handing the small bag to him.

He started to unwrap the multicoloured tissue paper slowly.

"I didn't really know what you would like, so it was kinda hard to choose, but I hope you like it either way," Isa said, smiling sheepishly. Seeing him unwrap the gift was making her feel nervous and embarrassed, but happy. It made her remember of how she absolutely loved opening gifts when she was a child, and remembering her parents smile as she opened it.

The box was now visible, and Tatara removed the remaining bits of tissue paper that clung onto the box. He examined it briefly, making it seem like he didn't know what it was. He set the box on his lap and turned his gaze at Isa.

"Thank you," he said, his voice more apathetic than usual.

Isa smiled. She knew that he must have felt a bit embarrassed, making him sound indifferent.

"Aren't these...the expensive kinds?" He asked.

Isa nodded. "They're one of the new ones that came out recently. I made sure to get a good quality one-and I did some research too."

"How did you know to get me a phone?"

"I-well. I kinda had a chat with Takatsuki, and she told me that you had a phone, and it was in bad condition."

Tatara nodded. "I see." He set the box on a small table by the bed and lied down, staring at the ceiling. "Sorry for not telling you about it. I just barely use it, so…"

"Then when do you use it?" Isa asked, lying down next to him.

"In emergencies."

"Such as?"

He looked over at her into her doe eyes that bored into his with curiosity. "Like the time when I called you," he replied.

"So the time when you couldn't find my house, so you decided to call me," she joked.

"Something...like that." He closed his eyes and rolled over facing opposite of Isa. Isa laughed and hugged him from behind, burying her face on his back. Isa enjoyed his natural scent mixed with the smell of his fresh laundry. They stayed like that for a long time, and soon, Isa fell asleep.

Tatara turned around when he knew for sure she was asleep, and looked at her closely. Looking at her made his heart ache. It was constantly reminding him about the operation.

But she looked so peaceful.

If it weren't for Eto, then he wouldn't have to approve of the operation, much less just cancel it.

He twirled a lock of her soft hair around his finger. It felt like silk. He ran his fingers through her hair a couple times, dumbfounded in how smooth it was. Then he came into realization of what he was doing and stopped. He took another good look at her again, sighing.

_It can't be undone. Why did I even possibly even think of trying to end this? Have I forgotten my goals? I cannot become blinded again. I won't let myself be._

_Everything...for the future of Aogiri._

* * *

Nearing the end!

Thank you all for your kind words! ^^


	20. Chapter 20

Isa woke up rubbing her eyes, and her mind instantly aware of where she was. She could feel Tatara's calm presence nearby, watching her. The first thing that popped into her head was the new phone.

"Do you want to activate your phone?" She asked, still feeling fuzzy from grogginess. She laid on the bed and used her arms to push herself up a bit, and stared at the clock until her eyes focused and her vision became sharper. "It's still pretty early."

"Yeah," Tatara replied.

"Okay," she said, and she lied back down, waiting for her grogginess to fade. Tatara looked at her, confused.

"Why are you lying back down?"

"Just wait...a little longer."

Tatara leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "What time does it close?" He asked, just for the sake of asking.

"I don't know-six o'clock?"

"It's four."

Isa dismissively waved her hand. "Well have time."

Tatara calculated the distance of the nearest shop from his home, and then estimated the time. "We won't have enough time, Isa. Let's go now." He then explained the amount of time it would take them to arrive there, adding the time with how long the activation would take, and it convinced her to get up and get ready to go.

Tatara prefered not going, as it seemed a waste of time when he was supposed to relax, but if it made Isa happy, then he'd do it.

They'd finally activated the phone and was headed back to Tatara's place, until Isa said she wanted to go to the abandoned building. Tatara sensed that rain was going to fall soon; it smelled more dense than usual, which meant that the rain was going to be heavy.

They watched the view from above together, enjoying the breeze of wind that blew by occasionally. The clouds grew darker by the minute as it also covered the sun. The whole city looked in gloom, reminding Tatara of the wars of Aogiri and CCG in the past, and the one that was about to come.

_Three days. _

"Is something the matter?" Isa asked, making Tatara aware that she was there.

"No," he replied.

"Are you sure? You look a bit upset." Isa's expression changed to concern as she stared at Tatara for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said calmly, starting to get a little annoyed.

Isa's gaze lowered as if she was a bit hurt. "Well, if there's anything you ever want to tell me, please do, because I'll be here to listen." She placed a hand on his arm, looking back up at him with expectancy. He nodded, and took her hand.

"Thank you." He saw a slight smile on Isa's face as she looked back at the view. She shivered.

"It's getting cold, and it looks like it's going to rain," she said, looking up into the sky.

"Yeah. It's going to be heavy rain." Tatara looked back up at the clouds as they swiftly drifted with the wind. "Let's head back inside," he said, walking back towards the stairs. Isa took one last glance at the sky.

"It doesn't seem we can get back to your house without getting soaked." She followed Tatara.

Once they made it to ground, rain started to pour in heavy droplets. Isa suggested that they stay in the building until the rain cleared out.

"It's safe in here, right?" She asked, hesitant to open the front door.

"Yeah. I come here a lot. No one lives here or ever came here when I was here. It's abandoned." He grabbed the dusty handle of the doors and pushed it open, metal groaning as they grinded against each other. It was very dark inside, but Tatara just headed in without a word or reluctance. Isa followed at his heels, unsure about her own suggestion.

It was an old, abandoned apartment building that had no power, but Tatara said cold water still ran.

Tatara said it was best to go to the gym, since there was someplace to sit.

"There's still furniture here?" Isa asked.

"Barely. But there are a couple chairs and a couch."

"In the gym?"

"Yeah."

He opened the slide doors of the gym, letting Isa enter first. It wasn't as dark as the hallways, as the only source of light came from the windows. But even the gloomy light from outside didn't make the place look less eerie, as everything besides the dim light was shadowed and dark.

They sat on the chairs and waited for the rain to stop, talking. It soon became cold for Isa, and the rain didn't seem to stop anytime soon, so, Tatara ended up forcing her to wear his shirt on top of hers. It made her cheeks redden with heat as she slipped his T-shirt on, but she felt happy like a small child that got what they wanted. Gladly, the place was dark so Tatara wouldn't be able to tease her with a smug smirk.

"So, what do you do, Tatara? As in, spare time, job, and anything like that," Isa asked. She couldn't believe that she never even asked that question before.

"I used to work with Takatsuki with her job a several months ago, but now I'm trying to find my own."

"I see." Isa was shocked, but didn't show it. "So you guys wrote stories together?"

"No. I just helped her edit and format it, and she shared her income with me. We're childhood friends, so she helped me for a while."

"Really? You guys were friends for that long? I never knew that." Isa thought for a moment. Why didn't Takatsuki tell her about that?

"Yeah. And then I told her I didn't need her help anymore."

"What do you do now?"

"Still finding."

"Oh yeah." She was too concentrated with Tatara and Takatsuki being childhood friends that she forgot he already said that.

_So Takatsuki helped Tatara because they were childhood friends… _Isa wondered if there was more to that. Maybe at some point they had an interest in each other?

"Why did you tell her that you didn't need her help anymore?" Isa asked.

"I didn't really like it. And…"

"And?"

"I rather take care of myself."

Isa chuckled, causing Tatara to become confused. "Why laugh?"

She put a hand over her mouth to gesture politeness. "Typical you. It all fits you."

"Does it?"

She nodded. "Mhm. I...like it, actually."

"Like wha-" Tatara stopped at a faint sound coming from the hallway. He jerked his head back at the direction, staring down the hall. The rain was dulling his senses, but he still managed to smell humans from a distance.

"What's wrong?" Isa asked, her voice filled with worry and she caught onto his sense of danger. She reached out and touched his arm. His skin was so cool and smooth, it reminded her of silk. Tatara stood up abruptly, his luminous eyes that shined off the light suddenly turned sharp like daggers, staring down at her. He took her by the arm and started walking towards other side of the gym where it was the darkest. Fear pumped through Isa's chest, she knew something dangerous had happened, she just didn't know what. She knew to stay quiet until Tatara said so, so she kept her mouth shut.

She saw Tatara's silhouette feel the wall, as if he was trying to find a door. She heard him grab something, and then there was a sound of a door opening.

"In here," Tatara whispered.

She followed the sound of his voice, and by then, she could hear faint footsteps coming from the hallway.

They were inside some kind of room. Tatara hugged Isa closer to him and slowly closed the door, complete darkness enveloping the entire room. Isa leaned her head on his shoulder, the soft cool of his skin relaxing her a bit.

"I didn't know this would happen, Isa. I'm sorry," Tatara said barely in a whisper.

"What's happening? Why are we hiding?" She asked.

Instead of answering, he pulled her head closer towards him, Isa's lips accidentally pressing onto his shoulder. She felt a wave of energy surging through her body before she realized the situation she was in.

"Tatara?"

He didn't respond. He was concentrating on the sounds of the people who were in the building. Were they kids just wondering around? Nobody came in the building for the past three years. It was safe until now. He listened very carefully, concentrating on his hearing senses.

"Tatar-"

Tatara wrapped an arm around the small of her back and squeezed it, causing her to stop what she was saying. The footsteps of the people came closer, and it was definite that they were heading this way. He counted the sounds of footsteps, calculating the number of people who were there.

_Two._

He finally noticed that Isa was breaths were hitchy from him squeezing her too tightly. He loosened his grip and mumbled an apology bringing his mouth closer to her ear. "Wait," he said. She nodded.

"So...this is the old building where Aogiri used to encamp?" A voice asked.

_Ghoul investigators… How could I have not thought of that?_

"Yeah. Three years ago. This was one of their building that we raided."

The footsteps became more louder as they roamed the gym. "Tsk. Ghouls acting like humans. It's disgusting. They should just live in the wild like animals," the person then snicked as if he thought what he'd said was amusing.

The mention of ghouls sparked Isa's curiosity and attention. She listened further into the conversation.

"Don't you think so, Manaba-san?"

"Eh. Just get back to work."

"Oh. What are we here for again? Sorry I just kind of forgot. We're not just here to sightsee, are we?"

There was a brief pause.

"Ow! That hurt! What was that for, Manaba-san?!"

"Quit your rambling and let's just hurry up."

"Yes sir!" Someone's footsteps quickened. "With the raid coming up in three days and all-I think we'll gain victory. With all of the new technology 'n stuff. Aogiri will be pressed to a pulp," an energetic voice said.

"Shut up..."

"But it's very true, sir. Even with all their artificial ghouls, we'll still win. We've got the upper hand on this one."

_What are they talking about? _Isa wondered. The words 'raid' and 'Aogiri' stuck in her mind.

Isa and Tatara both hid for the next several minutes until the two investigators finally went off. Tatara could no longer smell them either, so he knew they must have been far gone by then.

"I think they're gone now," Tatara said, finally breaking the silence.

Isa rose her head and looked at him-or more so looked at his silhouette. She put her hands back down to her sides, which was warm and sweaty from Tatara's body heat. She blushed that the realization of what they just did. There wasn't any reason for them to be so close. There was space in the room. Yet, Tatara kept her very close. Was he trying to protect her in that sense?

"How come we were hiding?" She asked him again.

Tatara opened the door, cool air flowing into the small room. "It's not likely for people to come here, so I thought it must have been workers or something. They would probably question us if we were found, and I rather not get into unnecessary business… I apologize, Isa." His voice was nonchalant, but Isa knew that was typical of him-even in situations like these.

"No...it's fine, really. As long as we're both safe." She looked over to the windows to check if the rain had stopped. Something felt a little strange.

"It seems it stopped," Tatara said before she could. "I'll take you home."

"The subway station is just fine."

Tatara walked Isa to the station, feeling a little unsettled. It felt like he was breaking apart, slowly. Something felt heavy in his chest, as all the memories came flooding back into his mind. Memories...that would have to be forgotten.

The train came to a stop with a strong whiz that crazily made their hair dance. The door opened with a signal, and all the passengers came flooding out of the train, everyone minding their own business and walking about. Isa walked towards the train, but then Tatara took her hand, clutching it briefly before he loosened his grip a bot. Isa turned around, giving him a confused look that soon became into a warm smile.

_This is the last time we'll ever meet again like this. _

_The next time will be different._

_You'll be lost. Forever. _

_I wish we never met._

Tatara let go of her hand and Isa headed inside, flashing him one last smile before the and train sped off.

* * *

**splitimage**: Thank you! ^^


	21. Chapter 21

Isa checked her bag for her phone, but it wasn't there. _I guess I left it at home, _she said to herself. She really wanted to text Tatara a good night for the first time. She smiled, looking forward to doing so right when he got home.

Ina was on her way to Isa's house, just to visit her friend in a while. It'd been a long time since they spent time together ever since she'd lost her father, and Ina thought that she was closing herself away too much from her only friend, who, only had Ina as her only friend.

She took out her cellphone and dialed Isa's number, looking at the sun as it tried to peek its light through the cracks of the huge puff of grey clouds. The sky on the other side of the clouds was a light purple, and it made Ina feel nostalgia from her memories with her father.

"Look, father, the sky is purple and pink!" She remembered exclaiming to her dad. Her father walked up to her and then took a step towards the window, looking out, smiling.

"Isn't it so beautiful, Ina?" He asked her.

"Mhm."

"That's where your mother is," he said gently, sadly smiling.

Ina looked stared at the sky. _And that's where father is. _She softly smiled.

Isa didn't pick up her phone, so she dialed it one more time, but she still didn't get an answer.

_Is she busy? _She wondered. Isa rarely never picked up the phone.

Ina ended up changing her mind and heading back home, since she assumed Isa was too busy at the time. She felt a little disappointed, though.

She watched the clouds as they slowly parted, allowing more sunlight to shine through the open spots. It gave her a strange thought about how it looked so much better on the other side while she was in the gloom; like a contrast.

She continued walking until a delicious scent of blood was traced through her nose. It was such a different scent-more stronger and thicker. It smelled so sweet and delicate. It came from an alleyway nearby. The smell got stronger by the second, which made Ina realize that she was hungry. She felt impetus pulsing through her veins as she took a step forward towards the smell.

_I'll steal it._

_I'll kill them and steal it._

She was confident that she would win. She trained hard for the past month to get stronger than before, ever since she lost her father.

_Food. I need food._

She quickly ran into the alleyway, keeping her guard up as sharply as she could because she traded stealth for speed. She soon then could smell a ghoul nearby-and their scent was a little strange and...familiar.

When she came to an abrupt stop at the dead end, her eyes widened at the sight of who was before her. Clothed in a tattered maroon cloak with bandages covering every inch of her skin. What kind of face was on the other end, looking back at her?

Ina took a step back, shocked and confused. Of all ghouls…

Eto giggled through her mask, a high-pitched giggle. It sent weird shivers down Ina's back. She stood straight with confidence, looking at Eto in the eye.

"You must have set me up. You did, didn't you?" Ina asked calmly.

Eto cocked her head to one side. "Oh? Heh. Yeah, I did."

Something dripped from her forearm, getting Ina's attention.

Blood...?

Ina looked back up at Eto with a questioning expression. "Is that...your blood?"

Silently, Eto raised her arm and observed the wound, blood continuingly dripping droplets on the ground. Without a word, she started to unravel the bandages on her arm, revealing the wound on her bare skin.

"Join Aogiri again," Eto said emotionlessly, her gaze still on her arm.

Ina took a step back. "No. I can't."

Eto faced Ina. "Why not?"

"I don't want to. I just...don't want to live like that. I never really did, to be honest." She smiled, hating to realize her own weakness.

Eto stared at her for a long moment in silence. She smiled inside her mask. "Who's side are you on?" She asked, sounding half innocent and half amused.

"What are you talking about?" Ina replied defensively.

"Do you love humans? Are they important to you...? If you join, you'll become stronger. You'll be satisfied. I can sense need of power, Ina. You've become so weak, why is that?" She scoffed.

Anger rushed in Ina's blood, making her clench her teeth as she tried to suppress a growl. Eto smiled inside her mask, pleased at seeing how easily she'd angered her.

"Weak? What-do you watch me or something? You don't know anything. Nothing," anger clearly showed in Ina's voice.

Eto smiled amusedly inside her mask. "You see…" She finally said after staring at Ina. She started to stare at the wound on her arm. "This scent-I rarely bleed, but I wanted you to smell it," she chuckled lightly. "You'll know in time. And then we'll also find out the true answer," She averted her eyes back to Ina, and with that, Eto disappeared in a blink, leaving Ina staring at the spot where she once was.

"What do you mean?" Ina asked angrily.

A faint giggle came from a far away, slowly fading away as the voice distanced.

_I don't need Aogiri to become stronger, _Ina angrily thought.


	22. Chapter 22

After Isa had texted goodnight to Tatara, she called Ina. They had a short conversation about meeting up in three days-which was the same day that Isa was going to meet up with Tatara, but at a later time.

The events earlier that day kept on swirling in Isa's mind. Those men-who were they? Weren't they ghoul investigators? It reminded her of Arima. It'd been so long since they last time they've met. He was also the one who saved her life, too. Isa hoped he was doing well.

She pondered about those two words those men talked about. _Aogiri, was it? And raid? _

_A battle._

_Why am I wondering about things that don't even concern me? _

_Both sides...are good… _

Isa shook her head, immediately changing her thoughts to the day when she met up with Ina and Tatara.

"It'll be a good day," Isa said to herself, smiling.

* * *

_There's no way I'm going to join Aogiri again, _Ina thought.

_It'll...just destroy my relationship with Isa. I need to protect her, she's the only one left. _

_But I need...strength… I'm so weak… _She stared at her cupped hands filled with water, looking at her own reflection, thinking.

_I can't let Eto meddle into my life anymore. All they do after all-they just need more pawns to kill off for their own sake. I'll get stronger on my own. _

_I'll protect what I have left with everything I have. _

_I'll live...happily. _She splashed the water on her face, relishing the coolness on her skin. It made her feel calm, forgetting all the bad things in her life for the brief second. She looked in the mirror.

_I'll become stronger._

* * *

The next day, as Isa was doing her daily chores inside the house until she saw mail being delivered to her front door from the window. Suspicion clouded her thoughts and made her hesitant, as she thought it was some sort of prank. She never gotten mail-especially not a small box of it. She watched the mail man disappear to the next house, and then headed towards her door, peeking through the little hole to see if she could see what it really was.

She opened the door and stared at the object in front of her on the ground, reading the name of the unknown sender.

_Eto? _

She bent down and grabbed the box, carrying it inside. She went to the kitchen and laid the box on the table, then got a knife to cut the tape that bound it shut.

_To: Isa, _it read. _From: Eto. _

She was about to cut the tape, but then paused, thinking hard. Who was Eto? It sounded like it would most likely be a girl, but that being a boy's name was possible. Isa ended up sitting down at the table, pondering for minutes of who it could be.

_Does it really matter who it's from? _She finally thought after a good couple minutes. It was addressed to her anyways.

Grabbing the box, she shook it wildly, trying to guess from the sounds coming inside what it could be. The thickness of the box was thin, while the length was long and the width shorter.

_Could it be a book? _

Gliding the knife around down the diameter of the rectangular box, the two flaps came apart, and Isa flipped them up to reveal a smaller rectangular shaped object wrapped with wrapping paper.

It was clearly a book.

Now curious while laced with excitement, Isa ripped open the wrapping paper, seeing the shiny cover of the book, and instantly reading the title.

_Ghouls._

Her eyes widened. Then, she looked down to see the author's name-it was the same as the sender of the box. Eto. Isa instantly knew that it was a pen name. The only person that Isa knew that was wanting to write a book about ghouls was Takatsuki, so she assumed it was her finished product that she mailed to her. Isa remembered the time when Takatsuki wanted to use her opinions of ghouls for her book.

Smiling, she knew she had something to do for a couple days.

It shocked Isa how deeply Takatsuki had explained the lives of ghouls so...realistically. Did she get information from ghoul investigators? Or was it all made up in her mind? Either way, Isa was amazed and wowed at the same time. But the story itself...was quite pessimistic. There was no hope.

All the facts about ghouls spun in Isa's mind as she wondered about them, trying to connect the facts together. She didn't even know what she was trying to lead in her mind.

The thought of asking Takatsuki about the book came into her head, and she grabbed her phone and dialed her contact number.

There was no answer. Twice.

Feeling a little unsatisfied, Isa decided to take a walk.

Everything from the book crept into her thoughts as she went down the streets, watching everyone do their own thing, wondering if they could possibly be a ghoul. She knew she was getting paranoid from reading that book, but ghouls were _real_.

_Takatsuki really has a thing for ghouls, huh? _She thought, blaming her friend for making her feel so alert. Smiling, she couldn't wait until she talked to her about it.

* * *

The next day, Isa woke up earlier than usual because of her cell phone. Blinking hard a couple times, she lazily picked up her phone from the nightstand. There was a text message from an unknown number. It read:

**It's me, Takatsuki. How did I know it was your #? Well, I have my ways. ^^ I was hoping you were available tomorrow in the afternoon, after your work. **

Isa had already made plans with Ina that time and Tatara later on. She replied:

**Sorry, I've already planned on meeting with Ina and Tatara tomorrow, **Isa typed lazily, finally pressing the send button. Her eyes were getting droopy, so she dropped her head back into her pillow, but another notification sound made her look back up the screen.

**Ah, a shame. I was hoping that we could leisure and talk about my gift to you. But it's alright. I'll be away for a couple weeks after tomorrow, so I may not be able to contact you until I return. Have a good week! Oh yes-I happened to bump into Ina yesterday. We had a nice chat before we both had to run. I forgot to ask for her contact #. Could you give me it? Appreciated. **

Isa gave her Ina's cell phone number, then said she was going back to sleep.

Eto pressed the confirm button to add a new contact number. She grabbed her other cellphone and started texting Ina, using her main phone to look at her number.

**How do I live in this world? We simply live and blend in. But my world is different. I'll simply do anything I can and put it under my control. Why don't we meet and have a discussion about this? I'll tell you everything. Your father, your mother. Because everything is in control. I'll show you what I mean. **

A big smile plastered on her face as she sent the message.

Tomorrow was the day.

* * *

Going on a mini-vacation~ May or may not be able to update.

Thank you for your kind comments~

~janice


	23. Chapter 23 (FIXED)

To Isa's disappointment, Ina had canceled the meeting with her early in the morning the next day, saying that an emergency happened. She didn't tell Isa what happened, except that it was urgent.

Isa went to work. At least she would be able to meet up with Tatara that night.

**20:00. By the ghoul shop nearby the old Aogiri building. **

Ina received another message from the only person that it could have been. She'd canceled the meet up with Isa because she didn't want her to meet Eto, just in case. Just what did Eto want from her? And why couldn't Ina she resist? What was in control? What exactly was Aogiri? A mixture of angry and confused emotions spurred inside of her, making her clench her fists in anger. Problems were always arising; never ending, ever since the beginning of her life.

Tatara watched from the top of the building. A woman with long brown hair was walking down the street towards the coffee shop. It was actually a shop run by ghouls.

He knew that it would start very soon. CCG must dispatching their troop by then, getting ready for the raid that would come in a few hours. And then, after that, many people, for ghouls and humans alike, there would be bloodshed.

Even if Aogiri lost, it wouldn't matter too much. All they really needed was to eliminate as many investigators as possible, especially the ones in the higher tier. Slowly, the investigators would diminish, while Aogiri had made their fallen soldiers into half ghouls, far surpassing the average ghouls' capabilities. Aogiri would become an organization of high ranked ghouls; the underlings would be their pawns.

_Doesn't matter how many dies today. As long as we proceed forwards… _

_But why can't I take my eyes off her? Why do I feel regret? Why do I still bother watching her?_

He kept his feet planted, moving only his eyes to trace her steps into the trap. He felt anxiousness flaring inside him-as if he had to run and grab her. Why did a human matter to him? Was it because...he didn't want her to become ghoul?

He clenched his fists, angered by his own weakness.

_Humans are humans. They're contempting. Disgusting._

_Pathetic._

_Pitiful…_

* * *

Sorry guys, was out the entire day and just got home and realized from your comments that latest chap was messed up. lol. Not at home using my comp atm, and will come back home on Friday.

**Anon: **Sorry for making your eyes hurt~ lol.

Thanks for noticing me guys, otherwise I would have never knew.


	24. Chapter 24

The door swung open so suddenly, a happy face popping out, a big smile plastered on her face.

"Is-sa!" The cheerful voice sang. She waved with a hand, opening the door for Isa. Returning a warm smile, Isa stepped into the shop, taking a look around.

"Sit here," Takatsuki told her, gesturing towards a circular table by the window. They took their seats across from each other, and a waiter came with two menus. Setting them on the table, the waiter smiled looking at Isa and walked away. Isa looked down at the menu, after seeing that Takatsuki had already began flipping through it. Something felt...strange. Or was it just because it was very quiet in the shop?

Isa's thoughts were interrupted by Takatsuki. "What are you planning on ordering?"

"Hmm," Isa replied, flipping though the menu a bit faster. Her eyes widened on a delicious looking treat. "Green tea ice cream and fruit mix."

They ate and talked.

Isa noticed that Takatsuki only drank coffee, just like all the other times when they met together. She asked why, and she just said she wasn't just a dessert fan.

"On a diet? But you're so healthy already, Takatsuki. I don't think a little treat will do any different," Isa told her.

Her friend gave her a warm smile, and then rested her head on her hand, staring out the window. "Yeah...I figured already," she said barely in a whisper. There was a sad expression on her face as she stared out the window-something in her eyes. Isa never saw her that way before.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's just fine. Just a little tired. Coffee never really had any effect on me."

"Ah," was all Isa could say. She looked down at her food, trying to avoid eye contact with her. She knew Takatsuki wasn't telling the truth, and it kind of hurt her, thinking that she wouldn't open up to her after all the times they bonded together. She knew that shouldn't have bothered her, since really, they haven't spent _that _much time together to know each other personally.

"Oh-oops! What have I done, Isa? I didn't mean to make you feel down. Sorry!" Takatsuki apologized with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head.

"Huh?" Isa was dumbfounded by the suddenness of her apology, and how she'd knew her feelings.

Takatsuki then smiled gently, looking down and running her index finger along the rim of the coffee cup. "I'm sorry that you felt a little hurt because of me not opening up to you, if that is the case. Truth is, I am genuinely tired, and that's why I'm going on a vacation."

"I see."

"That's why I just wanted to hang out with you before I leave."

"Why is that?"

"Hmm," Takatsuki put a hand on her chin, thinking. "You're...very interesting, Isa. And your personality-I like it too. Demure...but there's something about you that's the opposite. "

Isa's face broke into an inevitable smile, and she hoped she wasn't blushing. _Demure, huh?_ She thought, wondering if she was really shy. She knew she was modest, but was she really shy? Did it seem that way? What was Takatsuki's personality like? She thought for a moment. She was...very cheerful all the time. Kind, gentle, honest. But, what was she like when she was upset or angry? For some reason, her personality was a bit...strange.

_What is her family like? _The thought popped in Isa's head.

"It looks like you're intently thinking about something."

Isa snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, it's nothing important," she replied, the thought of the book coming into her mind right then. "About the book you sent me," she started.

"Mhm-I forgot about that totally," she pushed in her chair closer, leaning forwards and resting her elbows on the table.

As if Isa didn't miss a beat, she whispered. "It was amazing. Everything was so...actualizing. How did you get all that information?"

Takatsuki smiled devilishly. "Some professional researching skills."

"Liiike?"

"Talking to ghoul investigators, and…" She paused, a smile still on her face. "Seeing ghouls for myself," she said barely in a whisper.

"What!?" Isa's eyes widened, shocked.

Takatsuki giggled. "Don't worry, nothing dangerous happened. It never will. Not to me. I have my clever ways."

"But...it's dangerous, though," Isa said a bit sternly. "You have to be-"

Takatsuki waved her hand dismissively. "I know that it's dangerous for us humans… But I'm so fascinated by them." She smiled carefreely.

Isa frowned, not liking how her friend was taking it too lightly.

"Don't worry, Isa. I'll _never _die." She winked. Takatsuki's cellphone ringing right at that moment prevented Isa from saying anything else, and she just sighed, trying to suppress her agitation. In politeness, Takatsuki stood and walk away to the bathroom.

Isa watched out the window, thinking of what to say to Takatsuki once she returned. She knew that her friend was smart, but she doubted that she would stop, judging by the way she seemed too carefree about it.

From Isa' peripheral vision, she saw one of the waiters staring at her intently for some reason. She would have turned her head to face him in order to break his stare, but she decided to ignore it.

Takatsuki came back a few minutes later, her face expressionless as stone. She walked up to Isa, bending down to whisper.

"Isa. I'm sorry, and I'll explain everything once we head outside," she said, a stern look on her face.

"What is it?" Isa asked.

Takatsuki looked into her eyes for a moment, then her frown became into a smile. "I'd thought you'd like to go to the library."

Isa sensed something was going on, and it seemed pretty serious by the way Takatsuki was suddenly acting. She nodded and stood up, looking at her friend, trying to guess what was happening, but her face was just blank. Takatsuki's phone began to ring again, and a quick glance of her face showed that she was irritated. "Hurry," she mouthed to Isa while picking up the phone. Instead of walking to the bathroom again, she stayed in her spot, standing.

A bit confused now, Isa stared at Takatsuki and was about to mouth something until a waiter cut her off.

"Oh, are you leaving now?" The waiter asked with a kind smile.

"Yes," Isa replied, averting her eyes to the waiter. He was pretty tall, with black hair and a handsome face. He was the same person who stared at her. He asked for the pay and walked away to the counter.

Takatsuki continued talking on the phone, so Isa decided she would pay. Takatsuki's face looked worried. That made Isa feel uneasy. She sensed that her friend was telling her to be careful.

Taking a breath, she took out cash from her wallet and began to walk to the counter, hoping she looked completely normal. The waiter stood at the other end of the counter, waiting. Looking at the bill receipt, she gave the money to the waiter, who, was smiling at her kindly. It kind of made her feel weirded out. She watched as the waiter gave her change, giving her another smile when their eyes met.

"Have a nice day," Isa told him, smiling as she took her money. She could have sworn she saw the slightest bit of his eyes narrowing at her. Then-he licked his lips.

"You too," he replied casually.

He's definitely creepy, Isa told herself as she walked back to Takatsuki, who, had now finished talking on the phone and leaned on the wall by the door, waiting for her. Takatsuki waved the waiter off and they both silently left the shop. Isa took one last look through the windows-and what she saw made her heart rate shoot up.

Ghoul eyes.

_Ka..kugan?_

* * *

Guest: It was no one special, haha. Just a random description of him.


	25. Chapter 25

His expression-lustful. Black and red eyes; manic.

Her heart skipped a beat and fear flared in her chest.

"Takatsuki!" She called to her friend, quickly catching up to her.

"They're ghouls," she said flatly before Isa could.

Isa kept on looking back, quickening her pace as she clutched onto Takatsuki's arm. "How...did you know?"

"I saw blood in the washroom. I figured they were ghouls," she paused. "They won't chase us," she said.

"Why wouldn't they?" Isa asked, surprised.

"I have a pretty good relationship with them-I just never knew they were ghouls."

"That doesn't mean they won't kill us," Isa replied, scared of her own words.

"You're right. Hmm," Takatsuki said, putting a finger on her chin. She looked at Isa. "May-beee-it's just an eye tattoo," she smiled cheerfully.

"Takatsuki!" Isa almost yelled too loudly, smacking her in the arm. "It's no time to joke around like that!"

Her friend just went into a burst of laughter. Isa was starting to panic. What if the ghouls heard them? She nudged Takatsuki and pulled her as she quickened her pace.

They continued walking. Takatsuki put a hand on Isa's shoulder, indicating it was alright to let go. "We're far enough now," she told her.

Isa sighed. "Alright…" Her fear and anger slowly loosened up. They continued walking in silence. Every now and then, Isa would look back, then side to side, just in case. She looked back ahead at Takatsuki, who, watched her in silence. "I don't think anything was funny about earlier," Isa told her. "We could have been _killed._"

"Yeah… You're right. I apologize," her tone was careless.

"Well… As long as we're alright. _However_," Isa said, emphasizing the last word, "Don't take things like that too lightly. We were just lucky this time, who knows will happen next time," she tried to make herself sound stern, hoping Takatsuki would get the point.

"Mhm…"

Sighing internally, they walked continued walking. Night was coming into full bloom, and Isa knew they had to get home soon. She then just remembered her meeting with Tatara and hoped it wasn't too late. Deciding to check the time, she reached her hand to the bag hanging on her side.

But it wasn't there.

"My bag," she gasped.

"What?"

"I must have forgotten it back at that shop…"

"Oh…"

"How bout yours? Can you check what time it is?"

Takatsuki rummaged through her small bag and took out her phone. "It's almost nine-oh-my battery just died," she said. The screen went black. Fear started creeping up in Isa again. She hoped they were going to be okay for the rest of the way.

Takatsuki suggested that they stayed at her house for the night since she said hers wasn't too far away. "It might take another twenty-five minutes or so," she told Isa. It was completely dark now, and the only source of light came from the street lights.

"Huh?" Isa was surprised that she'd finally noticed something that she should have noticed from the start. "There's no one here, and there wasn't anyone back there, too."

"You're right…"

Isa could hear her own heartbeats in her ears. Her limbs tensed up and it made it obvious to her friend that she was afraid. "Calm down, we'll be fine," Takatsuki comforted, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"How were you not ever scared at all?" Isa asked, wondering how in the world she was so calm the whole entire time.

Takatsuki answered after a long pause. "You can't let them know you're scared."

Isa realized it was true in a way, but she was a bit unsatisfied with the answer. Isa was afraid to death-she'd never been so afraid in the life, other than the time where she encountered the two ghouls.

Heck-she didn't even know why she was walking instead of running. In the back of her head, she thought it was because Takatsuki was there with her, who, was too calm. Maybe that was subconsciously reassuring her.

_Maybe I'm just overthinking it… We're far enough already. We're safe. I need to believe that we're safe, _Isa told herself.

Her spirit lifted just a little, but it was enough for Isa to start a conversation. "So…" She began. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Mhm."

"What's your family like?"

"My family…" Takatsuki paused.

"Sorry," Isa apologized. "You don't have to say." From the corner of her eye, she saw her friend shaking her head.

"No, no. I was just thinking of what to say," she snorted, and her big smile could be seen. "My family...where do I start?"

"Huh?" Isa asked, confused by what she meant.

"Well. I used to have a mother, but I never met her before. And my father-he's alive," Takatsuki replied in a way that made Isa a bit shocked how apathetic she sounded. Isa wanted to ask further, but she didn't know if Takatsuki liked talking about it. Isa stole a glance, trying to read Takatsuki's facial expression from the side.

"I'm sorry," Isa said.

"No need."

After several seconds of silence, Isa forced herself to ask further. "How...is your father doing?"

At that, Takatsuki stopped in walking-making Isa's heart skip a beat since she'd knew she crossed the line.

But her friend turned her head to face her, the lack of light made the grin on her face look creepy. "He's alive, probably doing something useful," she said amusedly. Then she started walking again.

"Ah…" The words just escaped out of Isa's mouth. She was utterly astonished, looking absentmindedly at the spot her friend stood just seconds ago. Why did she talk like that? It seemed she had contempt for him. Forcing herself to push it out of her mind, she started walking again, but then stopped.

"Takatsuki?" She called out. She were no where to be seen.

_That's impossible, it was only a couple of seconds! _Was she playing a joke on her?

"Takatsuki!" She yelled, she heart rate shot up again, pounding heavily in her chest. "It's not funny!"

There was no response. It was impossible. How!? She just disappeared without a single trace.

Isa took a step forwards, then another. Her emotions were a mixture of confusion, anger, fear, and sadness. Her mind was empty-she didn't even know what to think.

Then, a sudden burst of sound caught Isa's attention immediately. From far ahead, red and orange blinded her eyes.

_Explosion, _her mind told her.

* * *

**Guest: It was just a random person with black hair. no one special, hehe. Sorry if that disappoints you~**


	26. Chapter 26

Isa stared at the eruption of flames, mesmerized. In a couple of seconds, she was pushed back from the shock wave, causing her to snap back into reality. Where did she go now? Takatsuki unrealistically disappeared, leaving her alone in the dark. She scanned around, looking for a house she could knock onto, hoping maybe she could use the phone and contact Tatara. The thought of him suddenly felt so strange, as if she had lost all her memories of him and gained it back. She had told him that she would call him as soon as she finished the meet up with Takatsuki. Isa wondered what he was doing. He probably called and the waiters at the shop answered. The thought of Tatara getting tricked by them scared her. She desperately needed a phone to contact him as soon as possible.

Isa frantically searched for a house nearby. She ran down the sidewalk where she was originally heading when she was following Takatsuki. Isa worried about her and Tatara. She knew something was going on. Her mind spun with different thoughts as she dashed towards the row of townhouses. All the lights were out through the windows. Every single house. It sent a chill down Isa's spine. Something was definitely wrong. No one was in the street, and now there were no lights in the houses. An explosion-Takatsuki's sudden disappearance. Could they have all been connected? She had no idea. All the stress was building onto her.

Isa banged on the closest door, asking for help. There was no answer; twice. She scurried to the next door and did the same, silence being the only answer. She was now frustrated. She went to the next door, then the next. She knocked, angry and upset.

"May I please use your phone...? Please answer…" She pleaded, resting her head on the door, tired.

"Is it because you forgot yours?" A deep voice whispered in her ear.

Isa jumped, she felt the surge of adrenaline rush through her veins as she spun around, only to be smashed back against the door with a hand pressed tightly against her mouth. Her heart began to race again. Squinting, she tried to see who it was, but it was too dark to see.

"It wasn't _so_ hard trying to find you, miss," the man said.

She recognized the voice.

It was the waiter's voice.

"You'll have to stay with me until that executive returns," he said. Even in the darkness, Isa could tell he was smiling as if he was having too much fun.

"Understood?" He asserted.

Isa couldn't find herself to do anything but just stare into his form, eyes widened. She badly wanted to bang the door behind her and bite his hand, but right when the thought passed the man pressed his hand harder against her. She murmured sounds in response and was released, only to be harshly pulled down the steps, and then the hand reappeared in front of her mouth, while the other dragged her back where she came from-towards the shop.


	27. Chapter 27

Isa didn't even try to resist him, knowing that she'd just get killed trying it. She was surprised that she wasn't as scared as she thought she would be. She was for some reason a lot more calmer than before when she was with Takatsuki. Maybe she was just numb from the mass of confusion.

Her mind kept on repeating the words the waiter told her, "_you'll have to stay with me until that executive returns." _Was she set up? She wondered. Then who would have set her up? Why did Takatsuki disappear all of a sudden? Was she...the one that was behind all of this? Isa's mind flickered back to how she just magically disappeared. Then, she realized that Takatsuki wrote the book about ghouls-and how everything was so detailed.

_Is she…?_

Fear slowly started to well up in her once again as she connected the dots together. She didn't want to believe it for a second.

The waiter stopped walking right then and now faced her, looking down at her. Frozen, Isa stood and stared back at him, images of bloody limbs and body parts detached from one another in her mind. She felt swollen of despair, knowing that she would definitely die tonight-mercilessly.

There was another explosion from the distance. She gazed at the blazing flames reaching the sky. From the corner of her eye, Isa saw the waiter slowly bring his face closer to her shoulder, which made her focus on him again. He sniffed at her and chuckled deeply, sending chills of fear down Isa's back. He took another big sniff, then licked his lips.

"You smell incredibly _delicious_," he whispered.

Isa jerked backwards, finally having enough courage for a little movement against him, but then he harshly grabbed both of her arms, keeping her in place. Bringing himself closer to her again, he went closer to her neck, too close that his lips brushed against her skin. Isa winced at the touch, feeling disgusted and angered. The waiter just chuckled under his breath in response. His mouth went to her ear and whispered, "why are you acting that way? I suppose you enjoy it as much as I do."

Isa was furious, but tried to suppress it as best she could. "I'm not a _toy. _If you're going to eat me, why don't you just do it?" She snapped.

"Ooo. Are you not afraid to die, human woman?"

Isa was silent. Of course she was afraid to die-but Takatsuki's words flew into her mind right then. "_You can't let them know you're scared._" She had no idea how to respond to make it seem that way.

"Oh, so you _are_," he said, his lips curving upwards into a smile. "Acting won't let you anywhere here."

Isa just found herself staring into his eyes.

Another explosion went off, and her attention shifted towards it once again. Clearly it wasn't some sort of accident, it had to be done on purpose. Was it terrorist attacks? She wondered.

"It's already begun," the watier said, his tone made it evident he was joyful.

"What has?" Isa asked.

The waiter looked at her, amazed. "What-you really don't even know?" He paused, then snorted. "Surely you must be joking...or were you the only one that didn't watch or listen to the news today?"

He laughed when Isa didn't answer. "The battle between the CCG and Aogiri," he finally said flatly. He took in a breath, looking towards the flames. "To be honest...I really don't care about them."

Isa wondered what he'd meant by that, but kept quiet. The memory of when Tatara and Isa were in the gym room of the abandoned building came into her mind-how the two ghoul investigators mentioned about the name Aogiri.

_The raid._

"What is Aogiri?" She asked.

"A normal human wouldn't know, huh?" He looked at Isa. "Aogiri is an organization of strong ghouls that are wealthy and powerful. They're scattered everywhere in Japan, maybe even some other countries too. That's the gist."

"You're not a part of it?"

He shook his head. "No-heck-why am I talking to a human like this?"

Isa wondered why too. But then she wondered...what was so wrong about it? Besides that humans were their prey, but...weren't they still the same in a sense?

"Is...there a problem with that?" She asked.

"Are you stupid?" He replied, eyebrows raised. He then started to chuckle again. "Wow, you're some weird human."

"But, we're not too different from each other, except the fact that you eat us."

"That's a big difference, you know."

"Can't you...just hold it in?"

"You know nothing about us ghouls. Humans know _nothing. _You eat cows, pigs, chicken, it's like you mass produce your food and butcher them up and sell them. You _eat _them. All of it. But we can only eat humans-that's our only diet. It's how our bodies work. Yet...you guys can't seem to understand that, and you hunt every one of us down."

Isa thought for a moment. "We-I do understand… Our minds are equally complex than any other creature, and I guess because of that, we do anything to protect ourselves and others. Because we have feelings and strong bonds."

"But you humans also overdo it. You overkill to the point where some animals go extinct. That's what I don't like about you. You're the ones that are _filthy_, not us."

The words stung her.

He suddenly began to snicker. "I really, really, have no idea why we're even talking," he said, venom in his tone. In a swift movement, he jerked forwards and wrapped his arms about Isa tightly, so hard that it was hard for her to breathe. "I would eat you, but I guess I can pass on that. The money is more important to me right now, and I'm going to keep you until that executive arrives." The said. "However...I'm sure Aogiri wouldn't mind a bite," he said, tone amused. Isa struggled to free herself, but he hugged tighter every time she moved to the point where Isa thought her bones would be crushed.

She gave up despondently, and then felt a tongue slowly trail up her neck and stop. His teeth rested against her skin, as if he was trying to find the right spot to take his bite. Isa squeezed her eyes shut, in wait for the pain, but right at that moment a recognizable voice called out angrily.

"Don't you dare touch her with your _disgusting _hands." The voice growled.

_I-na… _Isa's mind told her.

* * *

**Guest: Sorry for late reply. I described Tatara with yellow eyes because in the ending songs of the second season of TG anime, there was an illustration where Tatara had yellow eyes.**


	28. Chapter 28

Isa was still in half-daze as she was let go by the waiter. She stumbled backwards and accidently tripped over her own foot, landing onto the ground. Her mind was spinning with confusion when she knew she should have been relieved. But seeing the anger on her best friend's face was the thing that drove all her feelings of reassurance away, leaving only unsettledness to fill the space. The way the darkness shadowed on her face-and the way the faint light illuminated it-it pricked her mind as if she saw someone who looked just like her before.

"And who're _you_?" The waiter scorned, activating his kakugan as if he was showing off that he was superior.

Isa snapped her head back towards Ina, eyes widened, waiting for her response. She wanted to tell her to run away, but somehow couldn't find herself to say it. She was completely staggered, but she knew part of her wanted to hear Ina's response.

"That isn't of your concerns," Ina shot back. She paused, relaxing. "I don't want to fight, just let her and I'll leave. I'll even compensate back with more if that's what you wish."

The waiter's face cracked up into a wicked smile. "Ha!" He jeered. "What you call more is less than what I'll receive!"

"What do you mean? Did Aogiri order you?" Ina asked, anger filling her voice as she mentioned Aogiri.

"So you know about them well too, huh?" He gestured towards Isa. "I keep her until they're done their business, I get the money. And lots of it too."

"You rather have money than food?"

"You should know as much as I do, woman. Living in a world of disgusting, merciless humans-how we need to live among them and just like them," he laughed curtly. "I can find food everywhere, all I need is the money."

Ina stayed silent for a long moment. Isa stared at her, trying to read her thoughts, but she couldn't see through her friend's stone face. She never even seen her friend look that way before.

_Was she a ghoul this whole entire time? _She wondered. Fear started to clutch her again, but Isa managed to suppress it. The Ina she knew for almost her whole entire life-if she were a ghoul, did that really matter? Wasn't Isa also the one that thought ghouls and humans were alike?

"I guess...I have no choice then," Ina said, looking up to meet the waiter's eyes.

The waiter flashed a sadistic grin. "Just how I wanted it to be…"

"Isa," Ina called out in a commanding tone. "Come behind me."

Isa stood up, her legs felt like all the energy was drained out of it. Slowly, she listened to her friend and walked behind her.

"I want you...to run away." Her friend said softly.

"What are you going to do…?" Isa asked, feeling anxious.

"I'm sorry, Isa."

_She...was that woman. _The vision of that night replayed itself in her head. How her father died that night-all the things that Ina had angrily said about humans and ghouls. It all flooded back into her. Everything she'd been through her whole entire life-Isa couldn't imagine. And now what was to happen? Her friend had told her to run, but she couldn't just leave, even though she couldn't fight.

"Go now," Ina told her.

Mixed with many emotions, Isa was in the verge of tears. "No. I'm not leaving."

Isa was pushed back by Ina as the waiter flew into the air, smashing down with a large wing-like organ. Isa stumbled and hit the ground, snapping her head back to see that Ina still stood in front of her, a hard-as-shell organ that was shaped into a lance attached right above her shoulder. It beated bright red in intervals, as if it was in sync with Ina's heartbeat.

The two kagunes came into contact, then retracted. Ina jumped backwards. "Get out of the way, Isa!" She commanded.

Isa stood and sprinted several yards away, turning to look back at the two now engaged in a battle. Isa panicked again, trying to figure out what she could do to help Ina. They were too far away from any source of help. Isa looked for something she could attack with-she felt nervous, thinking she would just get in the way.

Ina dodged left to right, slowly backing up towards Isa. She and the waiter were panting, but the look on their face told the battle was not over yet.

"I-sa," Ina said in between heavy breaths. "I want you to start running. Just do it. It's a plan," she quietly slurred so that it was even hard for Isa to hear clearly, but she understood.

The waiter slowly approached them, a smile plastered on his face. Ina stood defensively in front of Isa, waiting for a attack. Right at that moment, Isa broke into a sprint the opposite direction, running as fast as she could. Her legs started to automatically move on its own-everything felt numb-it was as if she was in some kind of trance. Her thoughts slowly went to the back of her head. She wondered what happened to Ina. Was the plan successful?

A blur of red swiftly appeared before Isa could stop, sending her crashing into the waiter as he wrapped his arms around her. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked, his eyes narrowed in displeasure.

_Ina! Where's Ina!? _Her mind shouted. She stared into his eyes, shouting at Ina in her head to hurry. "Where is…"

He looked up as if he was scanning around. "She disappeared," he replied, his lips slowly curving upwards into a smile.

From a distance, there were multiple explosions going off simultaneously, catching Isa's attention again. _The raid. _Who was winning? She wondered. It was hard to believe that there would be many humans and ghouls that were fighting in that area, sacrificing themselves. It was a painful thought.

"Hmph. I wonder who's winning over there," he mumbled.

Isa's mind flashed with the thought of Ina. She suddenly had an instinct that she was hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. All Isa had to do was now distract him. It was the least she could do.

"Why is there a war breaking out betwee-"

Isa fell forwards and painful cry came from the waiter. Isa's hand was the first to hit the ground, then her face.

"Only an idiot leaves their guard down," Ina's harsh voice spoke, giving Isa a wave of relief. There was a disturbing sound that was like a blade piercing through a body and quickly retracting out of it. Then, silence.

"Ina?" She called out nervously, still on the ground.

"Yes…?"

Isa slowly stood up, turning her head slowly towards her friend-who was a ghoul the whole entire time. They stared at each other for a long moment. Isa walked over to her. Blood was smeared on her body-and the smell of it was fresh and coppery. Her kakugan eyes looked back at her, surprise with a mix of sorrow behind them. Isa stopped right in front of Ina, looking in to her eyes. She wiped the blood off Ina's face.

"So you were a ghoul all this time…"

Ina looked down and nodded. "I…"

"Don't worry about it, Ina, I understand." She remembered about the night when her father died. She wanted to mention it but couldn't find herself doing it. Instead she asked, "how did you know I was here?"

"It's a long story. But Isa-you're in danger. Have you heard of someone named Eto?"

Her eyes widened. "That's Takatsuki!"

Ina narrowed her eyes in disgust. "So it _was _her. She smelled...different."

Isa could feel the blood pulsing through her veins. There was no way. Everything was set up? Takatsuki was really a ghoul? Then what about Tatara…

"I have to get you out of here. It's dangerous at night-especially the night of the raid. Sorry-I should have warned you about it. I completely forgot." Ina started to lead down the road. Isa followed.

"Come to my place for the night. It's the safest there."

"Okay." Isa took in a huff of breath. It was the second time she was saved from death. She looked at her friend walking in front of her, feeling a pang of sadness thinking of all that she'd been through. Her only best friend who had such a loving family-so kind enough that they raised Isa. Now they were gone.

They walked further away from the explosions. "I'll take you to a part of the city where we can stay tonight. It's probably dangerous to go back home anyways," Ina told her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine...thank you. Let me treat your wounds too," Isa replied-suddenly remembering from the book that ghouls could regenerate on their own. She kept quiet about it anyways.

They continued walking in dead silence, until a voice was heard right behind them.

"I-na~" The singsong voice called out, giggling afterwards.

Isa knew the voice. It _was _her.

_Takatsuki's. _


	29. Chapter 29

The voice that once sounded sweet was now the sound of a nightmare. It felt like a blade pierced through her heart at that moment. Her mouth was open to scream but no sound came out. She trembled.

"Impressive work, Ina," Takatsuki complimented. "I knew you'd be able to kill him easily. Or was it too easy?" She asked.

Ina whipped around, hatred burning in her eyes. "It's always _you_. Just what do you want from me?"

"That's something you might never find out...or maybe just for a short time."

"Just give me the answers," Ina said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

"Have it your way then…"

Isa slowly turned around, meeting face to face to a Takatsuki who was strangely dressed in bandages wrapped all over her body, some of the strands coming off loose.

"Hello...Isa," she greeted.

Isa was terrified-the Takatsuki she had once known wasn't the real her-it was daunting to realize that everything was an act.

Ina stepped in front of Isa, defending her. "Just tell me what you want, Eto! Don't drag her into this. If you want me to join Aogiri-fine, I'll do it."

_Eto-is that her real name?_

Isa stared at the person who'd once been a friend. Eto narrowed her eyes, it looked like she was either slightly displeased or sadistically amused. "It's alright, you don't have to," Eto replied softly. "I was never targeting you in the first place. It was just...coincidence that you were a part of this."

A red kagune ripped out of Ina's back, glowing veins attached where the organ sprouted. Isa didn't like the feeling of where it was all going now. She tugged her friend's arm. "Please stop fighting you two," she pleaded, but was ignored.

Eto laughed. "This… Was also a part of the plan, too."

Ina lunged forwards at her striking the first blow but came to an abrupt stop-Eto disappeared. Isa couldn't believe what was happening. She felt overwhelmed and scared of what would happen. She regretted everything. She wished she canceled the meeting with Takatsuki. She wished she never even met her. And...did...that lead all the way back to when she met Tatara...? She couldn't help but to feel a pang of sadness, then, guilt.

"There is a purpose for everything I do," Eto suddenly whispered in Isa's ear. Startled, Isa swifted turned around.

_What...?_

Eto wasn't behind her.

A sound like a large blade piercing through a body came from behind. Someone coughed violently, as if they were choking on a liquid. In shock, Isa slowly took one step, then another, turning around. She trembled among the sight of her friend-Ina, bleeding. Blood splattered on the ground and she dropped to her knees.

"I..na" Isa murmured, heart pounding in her chest heavily. Ina looked up at her, coughing several more times. She managed to give her a tired smile.

"Isa…" She said in between coughs. "I'm...so...sorry."

At that, Isa legs lost all their strength and she dropped to the ground. Shaking, she crawled to her friend, eyes filled with tears. "No. Don't die. Don't die…" She pleaded.

"I couldn't...do anything...to save you…" Ina said as she fell into Isa's arms.

"No! It wasn't your fault," Isa sobbed. "It was mine...all mine! Please...don't leave me. Don't leave," she begged.

Ina's frail hands clutched on to Isa's shoulder, all the strength had died out of her. "I...don't want to...leave," she said softly.

Isa saw a shadow cast over her. She slowly raised her head, meeting Eto in the eye, tears falling from her face. Eto's expression was blank. In the soft wind, her bandages were slowly becoming looser, some strands now hanging down.

"W-why…?" Isa asked.

Eto didn't respond. Her icy eyes just stared down at Isa. She then turned her head slightly to the side, as if she had noticed someone was there. Looking back at Isa, she finally replied. "For the future of Aogiri," she said blankly. And with that, she turned and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Isa stared astonished at the spot where Eto stood, but then Ina spoke. "Run...away," her voice was starting to fade. Isa shook her head furiously.

"No...there's no point in running away. I want to stay." More tears welled in her eyes thinking about her dying friend. There was nothing she could do to save her. The kagune blade was still in her body. There was no help nearby. Not enough to save her only friend. Isa felt utterly helpless. She wanted to scream. Change the past-wished she never met them.

"Ina…" She trembled, scared to look at her friend. "I'm sorry." Her tears fell onto her friend's face.

Ina breathed heavily, shaking her head. "Thank you...for being my friend."

Isa looked down to see her friend smiling faintly. She managed to force a smile back.

A minute past. Isa felt empty and alone. There were footsteps approaching her, she knew who it was. It stopped a meter before Isa. No word came from his mouth.

"Arima-san… My friend...was a ghoul...and she...died for me."

* * *

I actually liked the waiter...and Ina...


	30. Chapter 30

Arima took Isa to one of the military vehicles camping at a safe spot. Their walk was quiet, Isa's sobbs the only sound in between them. She was led inside the truck and then Arima left without a word. Isa was then alone with a middle-aged man that sat in front of many screens that displayed the streets where the war was taking place. There were always shadowy figures of humans and ghouls on the screen, running and fighting for their lives. Voice reports blared through the speakers about updates, deaths, and sometimes, even last messages before a soldier got cut off by a terrifying scream of death. Everything was so gloomy-even the greenish light from the screen that illuminated insides of the truck was nothing but eerie.

Isa sat at the back on a seat, head down, thinking about all the things that had happened in her life-all the things that were taken away from her-and all the things she regretted. She almost couldn't believe it.

"So. who're you?" The man sitting at the front suddenly asked her, continuing to observe through the cameras.

"My name is Isa...Isa Takano, sir," she replied quietly.

"Isa, huh?" He paused. "Seems you saw some things that you did not want to ever see, isn't that right?" He slightly turned his head an angle towards her, but when Isa didn't answer, he focused back on the screen and sighed. Isa stared at her hands, which were balled into fists-she was trying not to cry, but tears were already forming in her eyes.

The man sighed again. "What was a young lady like you doing out in the streets in the night? Especially today? Didn't you hear all the announcements days before?" He asked.

Isa squeezed her hands even harder. Why didn't she know? She asked herself. A tear dropped onto her thigh.

When the man noticed her crying, he awkwardly shifted in his seat, clearly feeling uncomfortable. He grunted and muttered sounds a couple times as if he was trying to distract himself. Finally, he broke the silence. "You were lucky to survive this time-just be more careful next time… And with all the things you might have seen today, as time passes, you'll slowly forget about it."

Isa's sobbing became louder then. "It's my fault my friend died," she said between sobbs. "She died for me-because of me, and it's all my fault." She hung her head low, wiping away her tears and sniffling.

The man rose from his chair and went beside Isa, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I was a former soldier, and if your friend truly died for you, then I guarantee that your friend, was truly a friend that loved you. All you can do now is be thankful and alway keep your friend in your heart, but don't let that fog you from the life you have to continue living."

Isa nodded, looking up at him. "She...was a ghoul and...my only friend."

The man was taken aback. He stared into her eyes, shocked. "Is that so?" He asked, then walked back to his seat after staring absentmindedly at a wall.

A couple hours past. Isa sat all the way through, pondering about many things. She asked the man how the raid was going, and he sounded very pleased when he said they had the upper gain and were slowly driving all the ghouls out, killing them. Isa might have been against ghouls exterminations, but after thinking long and hard about ghouls and humans for the past couple hours, she accepted the fact that ghouls and humans were different in their own way, yet in some ways the same. They could most likely never coexist, or if one day they did, there would still be many who disagreed to coincide. It was just a part of life.

After a while, Isa and the man got into a conversation about Aogiri. She was told that there was One-eyed King that ruled over them. Many had died from the One-eyed ghoul the past years in previous fights-but the man said that they were completely prepared to take him down-that it was absolute.

_One eye… _She wondered about it, fascinated.

It was almost early morning, and Isa couldn't believe how much time had past. She decided to step outside to get some fresh air. The sky was a dark blue, and the chill of early morning swept through the wind. The air smelled terrible from all the explosions.

Leaning her back on the vehicle, she wondered just how much hatred consumed someone to make them make an organization like Aogiri. She closed her eyes and thought-all the way back to Eto and her-everything that they did together. What did she want from her? Why did she do all those things? Her memories went back to the book she'd received-everything that happened in the story. Then, Isa caught onto something.

"_I was born alone. There is no hope. All this time I was pulling the strings with my fingers to lead you to a glimmer of hope. If there is one… Will you realize before it's too late? That it's just a game? I laugh internally at the thought. So miserable."_

That was the last paragraph in the story. It were meant-for her. Isa. Pity clutched her heart as she remembered Eto saying that she never met her mother. _Maybe she never experienced love-maybe that's what's made her corrupt. _

Staring into the distance as the sky became lighter, Isa's spotted someone on the top building-the building that Isa and Tatara would sightsee from.

_Is it really him?_

_Is he a part of Aogiri too…?_

_I want to know more._

_I want to know the truth. _

She stared at the figure.

_I have to go talk to him… _


	31. Chapter 31

***FINAL CHAPTER***

His words hurt her, but Isa felt the same way. It was better if they had never met. A human and a ghoul? It was possible, but too problematic. It actually surprised Isa that Tatara was affected by all this. Once she guessed the truth, she'd thought everything was done for an act. Or, was it still an act? Was even the tiniest hint of sadness in Tatara's eyes just for the sake of Aogiri?

All she could do was stare into his eyes, wondering-suppressing her feelings. She knew she still had feelings for him-she just didn't want to let go.

_I'm so foolish. _

"Maybe...it would have been better if we never met," Isa finally said with a sad smile.

Tatara's gazed off into the distance, now emptiness filling his eyes. "We… I… Failed. Everyone's dead. My whole point of existence is no more," anger started showing in his voice. "All these years-all that I sacrificed, all my friends and my family. And now am I just to succumb-"

Isa put her hand on his shoulder, making him stop. He took a breath in and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. His brows were furrowed into an angry frown.

"It's over," he said. "Even...Eto is no match for the CCG."

_Eto… _Isa remembered they were childhood friends. A pang of sadness hit her, even though all the things Eto had done to her was still fresh in her mind.

"Live on," she barely whispered to herself, but was also meant for Tatara. It seemed like he heard her, since he just stared at her.

"I'm sorry, Isa…" He said, sounding like he had trouble apologizing.

She nodded sadly, forgiving him. She wanted to cry into his arms but just couldn't. A tear slid down her cheek and Tatara wiped it off, hesitating at first.

They stood together in silence for a long time.

"What are you going to do now?" Isa asked, breaking the grief-stricken silence between them.

"I smell Eto's blood…"

She didn't know what that meant, but slowly nodded anyways. "So then...I guess this is farewell, huh?" She met Tatara in the eye again, wanting to see him one last time.

He nodded.

"I see…" She took in a huff of breath. "Well, I'm pretty sure the CCG will be on to me now. I'll try my best not to reveal anything…"

He nodded again. "Thank you...Isa."

"It's hard living in a world like this, huh..."

There were sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. Their attention both shifted to the side, waiting in silence. Isa was frozen again, desperately wanting to take Tatara and run away, but she couldn't find herself to even break her stare from that spot where the sound of footsteps just became louder and louder.

"I always did love you," Tatara said.

To Isa's shock, Arima appeared from the corner, a long, sharp-pointed weapon in his hand, his blank expression towards the both of them. He stood still right at the top of the stairs.

_Arima? _

Isa felt Tatara's hand on her back, gently pushing her forwards. "Take her," he simply said to him.

Arima stood there in silence, waiting for Isa. She hesitated at first, wanting to stay...yet go at the same time. _This is for the better, _she kept on repeating to herself. She slowly walked away from Tatara, using all her mental effort to try to forget about him and keep on going. She heard Tatara's footsteps behind her, walking further away. Once she was right in front of Arima, she turned around to take one last look, but he was gone. She wanted to feel relieved, but she never felt that way.

* * *

Eto coughed out blood, panting. She tiredly wiped her mouth, falling to the ground.

"Ahh… How can this possibly be?" She grunted a laugh, amazed. "He's gotten more aggressive than ever." She coughed out more blood."

_Is this really the end for me? Hahaha…._

She smelled Tatara very close by. She smiled weakly at her friend, who picked her up in his arms and started to walk. She rested, looking up at the morning sky. The smell of bloodstain and ashes filled the air with a disgusting scent.

"We are not in vain. Kanou will...still continue," Eto said weakly.

Tatara didn't reply.

"As long as he continues...we'll never be in vain."

_Atsuko...was it that I was supposed to die that day instead? The thought of Ina and Isa just reminded me of us. I wonder what you would do if you were still here. It smells awful… _

_What...was my mother like? Was she like yours? _

_It doesn't matter. In the end, we live two worlds, two separate minds, and two lives._

She smiled faintly, closing her eyes.

"No, it's over," Tatara said, closing his eyes.

* * *

Isa followed Arima quietly. She looked down the whole entire time, thinking about everything. What was now ahead in her life? What would it bring? She felt numb from it all. How long until all her scars would be healed? She couldn't help to wonder what Tatara was doing right then. She was a pang of sadness in her chest as she thought of him.

_Maybe...it was better if we never met. _

One last final explosion canceled her thoughts. She would have stopped walking to turn her head and see, but she continued on. Arima briefly stopped, though, staring into the distance where the bomb exploded.

Isa looked back at him, and there was gentleness in his eyes as he looked back at her. She knew what it meant.

"It's over…"

* * *

Thank you for all the kind and positive feedback and compliments, and favourites! Really encouraged me to continue writing and finishing this story. I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it~

I already have a prequel for this story in mind, about Eto's and her friend, Atsuko's past long before the time of this fanfic. I already have the main plot in plan and now it's just a matter of writing it. If anyone is interested, i'll update this story once I publish it, notifying you all.

Thank you very much!


	32. Chapter 32

His words hurt her, but Isa felt the same way. It was better if they had never met. A human and a ghoul? It was possible, but too problematic. It actually surprised Isa that Tatara was affected by all this. Once she guessed the truth, she'd thought everything was done for an act. Or, was it still an act? Was even the tiniest hint of sadness in Tatara's eyes just for the sake of Aogiri?

All she could do was stare into his eyes, wondering-suppressing her feelings. She knew she still had feelings for him-she just didn't want to let go.

_I'm so foolish. _

"Maybe...it would have been better if we never met," Isa finally said with a sad smile.

Tatara's gazed off into the distance, now emptiness filling his eyes. "We… I… Failed. Everyone's dead. My whole point of existence is no more," anger started showing in his voice. "All these years-all that I sacrificed, all my friends and my family. And now am I just to succumb-"

Isa put her hand on his shoulder, making him stop. He took a breath in and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. His brows were furrowed into an angry frown.

"It's over," he said. "Even...Eto is no match for the CCG."

_Eto… _Isa remembered they were childhood friends. A pang of sadness hit her, even though all the things Eto had done to her was still fresh in her mind.

"Live on," she barely whispered to herself, but was also meant for Tatara. It seemed like he heard her, since he just stared at her.

"I'm sorry, Isa…" He said, sounding like he had trouble apologizing.

She nodded sadly, forgiving him. She wanted to cry into his arms but just couldn't. A tear slid down her cheek and Tatara wiped it off, hesitating at first.

They stood together in silence for a long time.

"What are you going to do now?" Isa asked, breaking the grief-stricken silence between them.

"I smell Eto's blood…"

She didn't know what that meant, but slowly nodded anyways. "So then...I guess this is farewell, huh?" She met Tatara in the eye again, wanting to see him one last time.

He nodded.

"I see…" She took in a huff of breath. "Well, I'm pretty sure the CCG will be on to me now. I'll try my best not to reveal anything…"

He nodded again. "Thank you...Isa."

"It's hard living in a world like this, huh..."

There were sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. Their attention both shifted to the side, waiting in silence. Isa was frozen again, desperately wanting to take Tatara and run away, but she couldn't find herself to even break her stare from that spot where the sound of footsteps just became louder and louder.

"I always did love you," Tatara said.

To Isa's shock, Arima appeared from the corner, a long, sharp-pointed weapon in his hand, his blank expression towards the both of them. He stood still right at the top of the stairs.

_Arima? _

Isa felt Tatara's hand on her back, gently pushing her forwards. "Take her," he simply said to him.

Arima stood there in silence, waiting for Isa. She hesitated at first, wanting to stay...yet go at the same time. _This is for the better, _she kept on repeating to herself. She slowly walked away from Tatara, using all her mental effort to try to forget about him and keep on going. She heard Tatara's footsteps behind her, walking further away. Once she was right in front of Arima, she turned around to take one last look, but he was gone. She wanted to feel relieved, but she never felt that way.

* * *

Eto coughed out blood, panting. She tiredly wiped her mouth, falling to the ground.

"Ahh… How can this possibly be?" She grunted a laugh, amazed. "He's gotten more aggressive than ever." She coughed out more blood."

_Is this really the end for me? Hahaha…._

She smelled Tatara very close by. She smiled weakly at her friend, who picked her up in his arms and started to walk. She rested, looking up at the morning sky. The smell of bloodstain and ashes filled the air with a disgusting scent.

"We are not in vain. Kanou will...still continue," Eto said weakly.

Tatara didn't reply.

"As long as he continues...we'll never be in vain."

_Atsuko...was it that I was supposed to die that day instead? The thought of Ina and Isa just reminded me of us. I wonder what you would do if you were still here. It smells awful… _

_What...was my mother like? Was she like yours? _

_It doesn't matter. In the end, we live two worlds, two separate minds, and two lives._

She smiled faintly, closing her eyes.

"No, it's over," Tatara said, closing his eyes.

* * *

Isa followed Arima quietly. She looked down the whole entire time, thinking about everything. What was now ahead in her life? What would it bring? She felt numb from it all. How long until all her scars would be healed? She couldn't help to wonder what Tatara was doing right then. She was a pang of sadness in her chest as she thought of him.

_Maybe...it was better if we never met. _

One last final explosion canceled her thoughts. She would have stopped walking to turn her head and see, but she continued on. Arima briefly stopped, though, staring into the distance where the bomb exploded.

Isa looked back at him, and there was gentleness in his eyes as he looked back at her. She knew what it meant.

"It's over…"

* * *

Thank you for all the kind and positive feedback and compliments, and favourites! Really encouraged me to continue writing and finishing this story. I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it~

I already have a prequel for this story in mind, about Eto's and her friend, Atsuko's past long before the time of this fanfic. I already have the main plot in plan and now it's just a matter of writing it. If anyone is interested, i'll update this story once I publish it, notifying you all.

Thank you very much!


End file.
